Drowning In Power
by moi-moi819
Summary: Sequel to "Plummeting In Love". The cat was out of the bag. Life should be easier now that he had one less person to hide his double life from. But, life can never be easy for Danny Fenton. What's worse? Danny wasn't sure what was harder: figuring out his feelings for Kagome or trying to keep her safe from his many enemies. Danny/OC, Vlad/OC
1. Best Summer EVER

Moi-Moi: Merry Christmas, Everyone! And Happy Holodays to you all! No, I didn't spell that wrong. (Moi-Moi819= CONFIRMED Holosexual).

Anyways, Let me be the first to welcome you to the second story in this Danny Phantom trilogy: "Drowning In Power".

Like I said at the end of the first story, this story will be more action orientated. The foundation for the universe has been laid. So, it's time to build a sturdy house of action, adventure, a bit more romance and small dashes of humor. I really hope you guys like it! :D

~:~

Danny glanced at the pink, digital clock on the nightstand before looking forward again. ' _8:05'._ He had a slightly concerned look in his eyes while he paced the carpeted floors of Kagome's bedroom. He glared at where she was sitting on the floors with her legs crossed. She was staring down at a formerly-bronze goblet that was crusted with black soot. A folded piece of printer paper rested innocently in the goblet. "We're going to be late," Danny reminded.

"Five more minutes," Kagome bargained.

"You said that fifteen minutes ago," Danny said and shot Kagome an exasperated look that she ignored.

"If you're so impatient, you can go ahead without me. I'll catch up," Kagome bargained. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she held them over the goblet. Her brows were knitted in concentration and her lower lip was captured between her teeth.

"The movie starts in ten minutes, Kagome. Sam and Tucker are saving our seats, but we have to go," Danny said.

Kagome didn't reply to him and Danny nearly threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. With his arms folded over his chest, he stared down at her disappointment. Just when he was about to speak up again, Danny's paused with wide eyes. He could smell smoke. Gaze narrowing, Danny moved in closer before kneeling in front of Kagome. The corners of the paper in the goblet were smoking slightly, a tiny flame burning the edges. Danny felt a grin slide onto his face. "Kagome, you're doing it!" Danny exclaimed.

 _Finally!_ She'd been working on this for nearly half an hour now. Danny had been about to tell her to give up and try again at another time (particularly when they didn't already have plans) so many times. But, she'd actually done it! Danny was about to cheer and congratulate her again, but was stopped by the sight of the flame growing in size before quickly over taking the entire paper. Despite the paper turning into a small pile of black ashes, the flames weren't shrinking in size. " _Woah!"_ Danny exclaimed as he ducked away from the large flames that had shot out of the goblet like a flamethrower.

With his hands covering his head and his body curled defensively, Danny heard Kagome sigh in disappointment. Slowly, he lifted his head up to stare at her sadly. Kagome was frowning down at the nearly-black goblet with her shoulders slumped. "That's the twenty-third time that's happened. Why isn't this getting any easier?" Kagome sighed and held her head in her hands.

With a frown, Danny rested a comforting hand onto Kagome's shoulder. With a saddened look, Kagome look up at him. "You'll get it eventually. You're too smart not to. I mean, I don't know much about magic, but I believe in you," Danny said with a small smile.

After several seconds, Kagome returned the smile. "Thanks, Danny. I'll try again some other time. Let's get going. You better go Mach 5 if you don't want Sam to nag you about being late," Kagome said as she grabbed her jacket from off her bed. She slipped on the jacket before slipping on her Converse. It was late May, but still uncharacteristically chilly out.

"If you think you can handle it," Danny taunted while transforming into his alter ego. He held a hand out for her with a smug smirk. Kagome rolled her eyes before taking his hand. Pulling her close to him, Danny turned them both intangible before flying through her ceiling and out the house.

Danny couldn't help but smile down at Kagome where she held onto him as he flew over Amity Park. The past six months had been the best time of his life. Kagome knew his secret like he knew hers. Having her know the truth had been extremely helpful with understanding his ghost powers. There were still so many things that he hadn't known that Kagome had the answers to (or she had a book with the answers). Meanwhile, he'd been as helpful as he could be to help her get her powers under control. Moving to Amity Park and being constantly exposed to his ghostly powers had, in turn, heightened her powers. She was like a walking bag of unlimited magic. He'd already lost count of how many times she had unintentionally shocked him or forced him to change into his ghost half.

"See? We're not too late," Kagome said as she pointed down at the movie theater once it was in sight. Kagome squinted with a frown. "I don't see Sam or Tucker outside. Maybe they went inside already?"

"Well, we should join them," Danny said with a smirk before turning them invisible and intangible.

"Danny-" Kagome started, but stopped when Danny flew through the theater roof. " _Danny,"_ Kagome hissed quietly with wide eyes.

"Calm down, Kagome. No one can see us," Danny whispered back while flying through the theater. Kagome was about to object again, but Danny cut her off. "Look. There's Tucker and Sam. See? They saved us seats."

Kagome couldn't keep the frown off her face as Danny landed them behind a wall at the back of the room. He changed back into his human half before grinning brightly at Kagome. At her reprimanding look, Danny chuckled lightly and took her hand. His pull on her hand didn't leave much chance for her to object (not that she would have anyways). Crouching in an attempt to not disturb the other moviegoers, the pair slipped into a row near the back before taking the two, empty seats next to Sam.

Sam shot Danny a disbelieving look. "Where _were_ you guys? The movie's already started!" Sam whispered harshly.

Danny grinned at her. "We got a little held up. Besides, it's just the opening credits. No big deal," Danny replied with a shrug.

Sam rolled her eyes. Leave it to Danny to miss an 8:00 meet-up time. With a shake of her head, she offered him some of her popcorn. She'd even gone through the trouble of getting an extra large knowing that Danny'd be late and wouldn't bother getting himself a snack. Danny whispered his thanks to her while accepting the bucket. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam saw Danny take a handful before offering the bucket to Kagome. Despite the small twist in her stomach at this, Sam didn't react. The twisting feeling went away, however, when Kagome turned down the offer.

It's not that Sam still felt any animosity towards Kagome. The two had been rather civil with each other the past few months. On more than one occasion, Sam had been surprised to find out that she and Kagome had a lot in common. And it _was_ kind of nice to have another girl around to get annoyed with Tucker and Danny's boyish behavior. This didn't mean that they were best friends. But the girls had come to a sort of armistice for Danny's sake. It was a relatively easy thing to do after both Kagome and Danny had made it quite clear that they were _not_ dating (no matter what rumors were going around).

~:~

Mr. Lancer stared evenly at his homeroom students. His eyes were bored and his expression dull, but the middle-aged man was holding back a torrent of laughter. Every student in class seemed to be eyeing the clock, waiting for it to hit three. Unsurprisingly, Kagome was the only one not bothering with the silent countdown- too busy with her head buried in a tattered, old book. Mr. Lancer had glanced at the cover, immediately excited to see what she was enjoying _this_ week. But, he'd been disappointed yet again to see that the title was in Japanese.

"I should remind you all that summer school will be available for those of you who need it. I'll be one of the teachers devoting my time and energy to help students get their grades in order," Mr. Lancer said, skillfully ignored the several, muttered " _Yeah right"_ s from the students. For once, Mr. Lancer hadn't shot a knowing look at Danny Fenton when he'd said this. Mr. Lancer would like to think that Danny had taken his advice from last year to heart and had picked up his grades, but he knew that the truth to Mr. Fenton's success was the new, Japanese girl that he'd gotten so close to this past year. Mr. Lancer was sure that he'd heard a rumor going around that the two had gotten back together after a short breakup before Thanksgiving break...

When the bell rang loudly throughout school, the collective sounds of chairs scraping against the floors could be heard just before the sounds of students chatting happily. Danny grabbed his backpack before turning to his friends with a bright smile. " _Finally!_ Summer vacation is _just_ what I needed," Danny said.

"You say that like this hasn't been the easiest year for you when it comes to ghost fighting. Tell me again. When was the last time you saw Skulker?" Sam responded with a smirk.

"Well, the ghost fighting _was_ slow. But the school work wasn't. It was like I was an _actual_ kid in high school or something," Danny joked. Sam rolled her eyes while Tucker shook his head with a chuckle.

" _Imagine that_ ," Kagome said with a knowing look.

"This is going to be the best summer ever. I can _feel_ it," Danny said to his friends as they followed him out of the classroom.

"What makes you say that, dude?" Tucker questioned.

Danny walked backwards through the hall while grinning brightly at the trio. "Because last summer was awesome even though you and Sam weren't here. But this summer, you will be. Now, we can all hang out all summer long. All four of us!" Danny exclaimed with an ecstatic pump of his arms into the air.

Sam tried not to wince, Kagome nervously bit her lower lip, and Tucker shot the two girls a wary look out of the corner of his eyes. Danny was still smiling softly at his friends, patiently waiting for them to pick up on the _obvious_ enthusiasm that he was feeling. In order to save face, Kagome spoke up. "Rain check on the "summer of fun"? I still don't know if my mom wants to spend the summer in Amity Park or if she wants to visit family," Kagome said with a small shrug. "Plus, she says not to get too comfortable with the lack of ghost activity. She thinks the ghosts' extended vacation may be coming to an end."

"Well... It's no big deal. If you do have to leave, we'll just hang out as much as we can before you go," Danny said with a casual shrug.

"And what about the ghosts?" Sam prompted.

"I'll handle them if they show up," Danny shrugged with an easy grin. At the dubious looks on both Sam and Kagome's faces, Danny sighed with a smile. " _Relax,_ guys. If a ghost shows up, I'll fight them, exchange witty banter, and then lock them in the Fenton Thermos. I've done it a million times before. But until then, let's try to have some fun. _Alright?"_

"Whatever you say, dude," Tucker replied since both Sam and Kagome were too busy exchanging dubious looks. Danny rolled his eyes with a sigh. His friends were such worrywarts.


	2. Sapphire Extension Cords

Moi-Moi: Did you guys know that the plots for these stories came from some head canons I thought up and posted on Tumblr? I've had the ideas for years and am FINALLY writing them out. It's pretty exciting. ;D

~:~

Kagome sighed loudly before shutting her book and resting it on her nightstand. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her back against her headboard. Why couldn't she find anything that worked? She must have read enough books to fill a large library with, but she couldn't find any tricks to help her control her magic. In the middle of her staring match with her ceiling, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called out to her visitor.

Kimiko poked her head into the room with a small smile on her face. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you?" Kimiko asked while slipping into the room.

"The book didn't help, mama. I still have _no_ idea what I'm doing wrong," Kagome sadly informed her mother.

Frowning slightly, Kimiko moved over to her daughter before sitting on her bed. Patting her foot softly, Kimiko offered an encouraging smile. "I can only imagine how difficult this is getting. Normally, we learn control in a much more relaxed environment," Kimiko said.

"I _am_ relaxed... Well, I'm relaxed when I'm not stressing out about how much I'm not learning control over my magic," Kagome replied.

Kimiko smiled with a small chuckle. "No, sweetheart. I mean that most young witches don't try to learn control while constantly exposing themselves to ghosts."

Kagome's brows furrowed in thought. "You think that me being around Danny is messing with my magic?"

"Not just Danny. Vlad is here almost every day," Kimiko explained. "Having them around is drawing out your magic and making it very unpredictable."

"Is _that_ why you wanted to visit family this summer?" Kagome guessed.

"I thought it would be best to spend some time away from the ghosts in your life while you're gaining control," Kimiko started. At Kagome's relenting nod, Kimiko frowned. Despite not wanting to leave her friends, Kagome would willingly leave town to learn control of her magic. "But, I've decided that we're going to stay in Amity Park for the summer."

Kagome sat up quickly with surprise on her face. "We are? _Why?_ You just said-"

"I know. I was completely considering leaving for the summer, but I changed my mind," Kimiko explained. "It had a lot to do with how much you're struggling. At first, I thought you just needed to learn control. But then, I got another idea."

Kagome watched her mother reach into her pocket before pulling out an old, wooden box. The box didn't have a latch or any means of opening it. Upon closer inspection, it didn't even look like it _could_ open. Maybe it was just a block of wood? There were some words carved into the dark wood lid, but Kagome couldn't understand them. Archaic Latin wasn't one of her strong points.

"I don't think that what you're going through is the usual lack of control we face while still learning. I think your lack of control is due to you being a lot stronger than we first thought," Kimiko went on before waving a hand over the box.

Kagome's eyes widened when a silver latch suddenly appeared on the side. ' _Magic is so cool,'_ she thought. She didn't say these words out loud. She didn't want to ruin the serious vibe her mother had set. Anxiously, Kagome waited for her mother to open the box.

"I don't think it would be possible to teach you how to fully control your magic. There's simply too much power to contain. But this can help you," Kimiko said and lifted a silver chain from the box. She allowed Kagome to examine the chain and teardrop-shaped, sapphire pendant before saying, "This gem has been used by many witches before you in order to help them maintain control and properly channel their magic. Think of it this way. Right now, you're like power outlet with virtually unlimited energy."

"So, this is one of those plastic caps you stick in the outlet so babies can't stick their fingers in and shock themselves?" Kagome asked and pointed to the necklace with a wary expression.

Kimiko smiled. "No. It's more like an extension cord. It'll help you direct and control the flow of power you're experiencing," Kimiko said while unclasping the chain and reaching around Kagome's neck. Kagome leaned forward to make it easier. "Who knows? Maybe one day when you've had more experience you won't need it anymore and you'll be able to maintain control on your own."

Once the new weight was on her chest, Kagome glanced down to observe the sapphire hanging from her neck. She ran her finger along the gem with a small frown. "I don't feel any different."

"You will when you try to use magic," Kimiko replied. "I'm almost jealous. It's such a pretty gem. It suits you."

Kagome smiled brightly. "Thanks, mama. I'm gonna try it out," Kagome said eagerly and faced the white bookshelf on the other side of her room. Placing her hand out with her palm upwards, she focused on one of her small, fiction novels. Not even a second had gone by before the book had flown off the shelf and landed firmly into her waiting hand. Kagome's jaw dropped. "It's _never_ made it to my hand before! It's usually flying around the room by now or almost taking off Danny's head! It _worked!_ "

Kimiko smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm, but a frown slipped onto her face. "Is _that_ how your window broke last month?"

"No. One of my shoes had gone through the window," Kagome replied nonchalantly before dashing over to her vanity. She observed the gem with a bright smile. "Thank you so much, mama. I promise I won't lose it."

"I know you won't," Kimiko replied and walked over to Kagome. Kimiko decided not to bring up the window again. It was fixed and it looked like another one wouldn't be broken for some time. What was even better? It looked like this was the end to all the fire alarms going off in the house as well. Hugging her daughter quickly, Kimiko pecked her cheek and said, "Danny's on his way upstairs. You can give him the good news."

Kagome frowned in confusion. She watched her mother head towards the door before pulling it open. Kimiko's face lit up in surprise. "Oh! Hi, Danny. I didn't know you were here," Kimiko said. Kagome narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Hey, Ms. Takahashi. I just let myself in since the door was open. I hope that was okay," Danny replied and slipped into the room.

"It's perfectly fine. If you kids get hungry, there are snacks in the fridge," Kimiko said while leaving. Before slipping out completely, Kimiko gave her daughter a wink that Danny missed. Kagome shook her head with an astonished look.

"Hey, Kagome. Did your mom say anything about leaving?" Danny started with a nervous but still slightly hopeful look.

Her mother had sensed him coming. How long had she been able to do that? When would Kagome be able to do that? "Uh... She did. We're not leaving after all," Kagome answered with a smile.

"That's great!" Danny exclaimed with a bright grin. "What made her decide to stay?"

"Well, she wanted us to leave to give me a chance to get my magic under control without ghosts around," Kagome said.

"What do ghosts have to do with it?" Danny asked with a confused expression.

"Well, it's like this... You remember all those times I accidentally shocked you with my powers and then it made you start to change into your ghost half?" Kagome started. When Danny nodded, she continued on, "Just like my powers made you lose control of yours, your powers were making mine get out of control. It's like we were triggering defense mechanisms in each other. You would change into your ghost half so you could better defend yourself against me and my magic was overflowing to try to fend you off."

"But, I'm not afraid of you. A-and I wouldn't fight you," Danny argued and took Kagome's hands in his.

Staring at Danny's bright blue eyes, Kagome couldn't help but smile. "I know that. But it's like I told you. Ghosts and witches don't usually get along," Kagome said took her hands out of his. Instead, she patted his shoulders with a shrug. "It's okay though. My mom gave me some much needed help," she smiled and lifted her chin in order to fully show off her new accessory.

"She gave you this?" Danny asked and held the blue gem that was bigger than a nickel. "What does it do?"

"It's going to help me properly channel my magic so that it doesn't get out of control," Kagome replied with a bright smile. "I already tried it out. I got a book to come off the bookshelf without flying around the room or breaking anything!"

"That's _awesome_! Can I see?"

Kagome smirked before quickly grabbing a large book from her bookshelf. Danny watched her rest the thick-spined book onto her bed, take a seat on her bed and flip it open. When she gestured him over, he quickly sat next to her and looked down at the book. "It's all in Japanese," Danny said with a frown.

"It's a family grimoire. I don't know if other families do this, but my family has kept a pretty good record of the different spells we've used. It's our traditions. You're supposed to hold onto it until your kids are ready to start practicing magic. Then you pass it onto them. But before then, you're supposed to add a chapter with spells that you invented," Kagome explained and flipped through the pages. The initial pages had been an old, yellow color, but the further they went along, the whiter and newer the pages looked. "See? Here's my mother's chapter. It's mostly just ghost wards, but she has a few healing and locator spells."

Danny felt like a kid relying on pictures to determine what the words on the page meant. The pictures all looked like they had been drawn on by past owners.

"There's a few recipes for potions, but I've never tried those. I'm not even sure where I would get five pounds of ladybugs," Kagome remarked. Suddenly, she turned to Danny with a bright smile. "Pick one. We'll give my magic a test drive."

"Even though I can't read what they are and could be picking something that will make your hair turn blue?" Danny said with a raised brow.

"Then, my hair will match my necklace. I happen to think that I look great in blue," Kagome responded with a confident smirk.

"You do," Danny said without hesitation. After a few seconds, his eyes widened anxiously. "I mean... You _do?_ I... Uh. I hadn't noticed," Danny said before looking away to stare intently at the book. Before he could dig himself into an even _deeper_ hole, Danny quickly flipped to a random page and pointed to the spell on that page. "Try this one."

Kagome scratched at the back of her neck sheepishly. Since Danny was trying his best to avoid the mounting awkwardness, Kagome decided that she'd ignore his slip up. Kagome glanced at the page before smiling and hopping off the bed. "Be right back!" she called out behind her before disappearing from the room. Danny watched her go confusedly before sighing loudly. Holding his head in his hands, he lamented his slip of the tongue. ' _Sixteen-year-old, half-ghost superhero and_ still _can't_ _talk to a girl,'_ he thought.

"Back!" Kagome exclaimed as she suddenly re-entered the the room. "I got this from the back yard."

"A pebble?" Danny asked dubiously. "Uh, just for clarification purposes, but what kind of spell did I choose?"

"Just watch," Kagome said and reclaimed her seat next to Danny. She held the grey pebble in the palm of her hand before covering it with her other hand. She closed her eyes in concentration. Danny watched her curiously before glancing back at the book. There were no pictures this time to help him guess what she was doing. He could hear her muttering quietly in Japanese for a few seconds before she opened her eyes with a smile. Pulling her top hand away, she revealed her hand's contents.

" _That_ is pretty cool," Danny said as he stared down at the miniature, white dove in her palm. They watched it shake its legs out before flying out of her hand to rest on her windowsill. "Can you only do birds?"

"I just chose a bird. We can try something else," Kagome suggested with an eager smile. Danny returned the look wholeheartedly.


	3. Summer Shopping Gone Awry

Maddie would always love her son- _both_ of her children-without hesitation. All the love that she felt often led to concern over what they were doing in private. When Danny had been going through that _horrible_ rebelliousphase at fourteen, Maddie had been terrified that he was heading-more like _running_ -down the wrong path and she couldn't stop him, let alone pull him back. She'd lost a lot of sleep at night worrying about her son and how much time he was spending with friends over family. She would never admit it to Jack, but she'd actually searched his room in a moment of weakness. But she hadn't been able to find anything! There was nothing to signal to the world that Danny was struggling. No drugs (thank God). No (God forbid) condoms. Although, she was debating if that meant something worse altogether. She hadn't even found a collection of _adult_ magazines under his bed. She'd been at least expecting those. Instead, she had found one of her lipstick ecto-rays. That had brought out a whole other level of concern.

But, that was all worry for fourteen and fifteen-year-old Danny. Sixteen and seventeen-year-old Danny had been an abrupt change of pace. Danny had brought his grades up. Maddie was sure that he at least had a B in most classes. He'd stopped missing curfew. They'd actually gotten to regularly eat dinner together as a family. And Danny just looked healthier. He'd always been on the thinner side and exhausted. But Maddie could see that Danny was taking on a leaner frame that filled out his clothes better than his fourteen-year-old self could. She'd already taken him shopping for new clothes a few months ago. There was something about _this_ Danny that gave Maddie a sense of hope for her son as well as guilt that she hadn't been the cause of his 180 degree change in lifestyle.

"See you later, mom. I'm gonna go pick up Kagome before we head to the arcade," Danny said as he placed his empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher. To his credit, he even kissed her cheek before quickly dashing towards the exit.

"Danny?" Maddie called out behind him. Danny froze in the doorway mid-step before looking back at her in question. "Just you and Kagome are going out today?"

"No. Tucker and Sam are meeting us there. Why?" Danny replied.

Once upon a time, Maddie had been sure that Danny's relationship with Sam had been more than platonic. It just made sense with how much time the two spent together along with the interest they had shown in each other. But, now? Maddie was more concerned about Danny's relationship with Kagome. Kagome was a nice girl- smart, kind, and very polite. Maddie had no issues with the two dating. Though Danny had never admit it and probably never would. (He could get _so_ embarrassed.) But, Maddie could see it as plain as day how much her son cared about that petite, Japanese girl.

"Oh. Well, enjoy your date, sweetheart," Maddie replied while pouring herself a cup of coffee. She smiled as she took a sip from the steaming mug.

"It-It's _not_ a date, mom. We're just hanging out. Sam and Tucker will be there!" Danny objected. Maddie could see the tenseness in his posture and the way a blush was creeping up to his cheeks and out to his ears. He couldn't even look directly at her!

"I didn't say, "date". I said, " _day_ ", sweetheart. I know that you and Kagome are just friends," Maddie lied to save face.

"Good... Because we are..."

What did that sound like? Nervousness? Anxiety? It almost sounded a little sad. Or maybe it was disappointment? Maddie laughed into her hand. Now she knew where Jazz got her interest in psychology and examining others from.

"Don't _laugh,_ mom!" Danny exclaimed in a tone that reeked of embarrassment. "I gotta go," he rushed before dashing out of the kitchen. Seconds later, Maddie heard the front door shut.

"Did Danny just leave? I wanted to show him something down in the lab," Maddie heard Jack say.

Turning around, Maddie spotted her husband towering in the doorway. She smiled softly at him. "He left to pick up Kagome. They're going to the arcade with Sam and Tucker," Maddie informed.

" _Sam and Tucker?_ Why would they go on a date with Sam and Tucker around?" Jack asked with an adorably confused expression on his face. Her husband may not always be the brightest bulb, but he was always astoundingly observant and understanding. He often caught on to some things before she did.

"They aren't dating, Jack," Maddie reminded him. Jack snorted loudly before shooting her a slightly patronizing look. "They're just friends, Jack. I think we'd know if they were really dating."

"I'm telling you, Mads. Those two are together," Jack insisted before going over to the fridge. He pulled out a plastic container with some fudge with an excited expression. "They remind me of us!" Jack exclaimed and took a bite of the delicious fudge. (Maddie always did make the best fudge.)

"Us?" Maddie parroted. As far as Maddie knew, Danny's soft-spoken and awkward demeanor was a far cry from Jack's loud and boisterous tendencies. And Maddie had never seen Kagome act the slightest bit forceful or aggressive. Not that Maddie was aggressive. She was just _opinionated._

"Of _course!_ Trust me on this one, Maddie. They're more like us than they realize. Just wait and see. I'm sure Danny will be the one to take over the ghost hunting business for us. He'll be the crazy fool yabbering on about ghosts to anyone who'll listen. And he'll be lucky to have Kagome who'll actually know a whole lot more on topic than he does. She'll probably end up being his right hand in battle," Jack said with a grin and lidded look to his eyes.

"Oh, _Jack_..." Maddie swooned before gesturing for him to bend down towards her. Once he was closer to her level, Maddie placed a kiss to his cheek. "Let's hope he gets your way with words."

~:~

Danny fought down the blush that was threatening to show the world just how embarrassed he was. Shaking himself out, he quickly crossed the street before walking up the steps to Kagome's house. Just as he was about to knock on the door, said door was pulled open by none other than Kagome herself. She jolted to a stop with surprise on her face just before smiling brightly. "Hey, Danny. What's up?" she greeted.

"Nothing much. I just came over to see if you were busy. Tucker wanted to go to the arcade so Sam and I are going with him. I wanted to know if you were coming with," Danny said. A confused frown slowly slid onto his face. "But you look like you're about to go out somewhere..."

"Yeah. I'm meeting Paulina and Star at the mall. We're gonna go shopping and get mani-pedis. You're welcome to join us," she said with a teasing smile.

"Pass. But, thanks," Danny replied. He watched Kagome shut and lock the door behind her before descending the steps. "Wait a second. Let me walk you to the mall."

"That's okay, Danny. I can get to the mall by myself. I promise I won't get lost," she said with another smile.

"I just want to make sure you get there safe. Or I could fly you there," Danny suggested. He could have just offered to fly her there. Why did he start with walk? Oh, right. Because his mouth was faster than his brain. He'd actually been looking forward to going to the arcade with Kag- _all_ his friends.

"I actually wanted to walk. It's such a nice day today," Kagome said and looked up at the clear, blue skies. She looked back at Danny before shrugging. "We can walk together. Come on. Give those ghost powers a rest and just be human for a change."

"Sounds good to me," Danny replied and descended the steps quickly. And like that, the two were off.

~:~

Paulina checked over her nails again while Star busily tapped away on her phone's screen. The two had been standing outside the Amity Park Mall for about ten minutes awaiting their friend. Kagome had already texted them to let them know that she was on her way. So what was taking her so long? "Do you think she stopped somewhere?" Paulina asked Star.

"Hmmm. I doubt it. Kagome takes being on time freakishly serious. I'm surprised that she's actually late. It's usually her waiting for us," Star answered without taking her eyes off her phone.

Paulina folded her arms over her chest before looking around again. In the middle of scanning faces, Paulina _finally_ saw her. And then the Latina's eyes widened. "I think I know why she's late," Paulina said with a smirk.

"Why?" Star asked and finally looked at her friend. She noticed that Paulina's gaze was trained on something in the distance. Turning to look, Star had to search for only a few seconds. The blonde smirked.

Kagome tried to join her friends as quickly as she could. Danny was trailing behind her now because of how fast she was going. Despite the mall being clearly in sight, he was still following her. Most likely determined to make sure that she made it all the way to the door. It was a sweet gesture. When she finally made it, Kagome offered Paulina and Star apologetic looks. "Sorry I'm late. Time just ran up on me while I was getting ready this morning," Kagome said.

"It's cool. We get it," Star said slyly as her eyes glanced at Danny.

The raven-haired boy raised a brow in confusion while glancing at Star and Paulina. Seeing matching, slightly predatory looks on their faces, Danny instantly felt that it was time to go. "I'll see you later, Kagome. I'm gonna go," Danny said while maintaining eye contact with Paulina. Even though he had long since gotten over his crush on the Latina, she still left him feeling anxious for completely different reasons.

"Sure. Have fun at the arcade," Kagome replied, blissfully unaware of Danny's discomfort. She watched him go, slipping into the crowd of patrons entering the mall. She spotted Danny ducking behind a car only seconds before she saw Danny Phantom quickly fly away from the area. She shook her head with a small smile.

"Let's go. We'll try your mom's store first, Kagome. I've got summer shopping to do. I need a new swimsuit for my pool party," Paulina said and led the way into the mall.

"Are you having it at your house or the country club?" Kagome asked.

"My house. My parents will be out of town that weekend so it'll be a pool party in the afternoon and then the _after party_ at night," Paulina said with a wink. "You _are_ coming. Right, Kagome?" Paulina asked. She'd lost count of how many times Kagome hadn't shown up at a party because she was busy with Fenton and his friends.

As the girls entered the store, they each grabbed a shopping bag at the front to hold their clothes. The trio decided to browse the sale racks first. Most of the store was devoted to women's clothing, but there were some men browsing and children trying on new, summer clothes. The chorus to an upbeat, pop song was playing on the speakers.

"Kagome will go as long as _Danny_ does," Star said with a smirk.

"You know. I'm actually starting to worry about you, Kagome. You can't spend so much time with a boy, even if he's your boyfriend. He'll start to think that you're clingy," Paulina advises sagely as she examined a sea green, strapless dress.

Kagome felt her jaw drop in astonishment. "Not you guys too," she groaned. "I don't know how many times I can tell people that we're _not_ dating."

"There's no shame in dating Fenton, Kagome. You could do worse. Besides, he's kinda cute," Star acknowledged. In the middle of critiquing an _extremely_ cute top, Star felt twin gazes on her. With a brow raised, she looked up at her friends. "What?" she asked at Paulina's strange look and Kagome's amused one. "You have to admit that he got cuter last year."

" _Anyways,_ it doesn't matter what you tell people. Everyone in this town has nothing better to do than gossip about others. Especially since there haven't been any ghost attacks lately," Paulina mused.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways. We're just friends. I know it and Danny knows it," Kagome said resolutely.

"Oh no..." Paulina sighed.

"You _didn't_ ," Star accused.

"What?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Don't tell me that you told him that you want to be "just friends". Kagome, don't you know that you can never be "just friends" when one of you is already catching feelings?" Paulina pointed out. "And don't try to deny that Fenton is totally into you. Even a _blind_ person can see it."

"Boys make everything so overly complicated. You can't be nice to them without them thinking that you're suddenly dating now," Star scoffed and put back the top.

"I've actually dated Dash and I know for a fact that he's nowhere near as into me as Fenton is into you. Good luck trying to convince Dash to walk me to the mall and not ask for anything back," Paulina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Kagome frowned as she stared down at the clothes rack. Maybe Paulina and Star were right? The two of them definitely had more experience with boys. But Danny wasn't like other boys. Literally. He was one of a kind even without the ghost powers to set him apart. Before Kagome could voice her concerns, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Turning quickly, she smiled brightly at her mother.

"Hello, girls. Doing some early, summer shopping?" Kimiko questioned with a bright smile on her face.

"You bet, Ms. Takahashi," Star replied with a bright smile.

"I came in for a new swimsuit, but I always end up buying more than I come in for," Paulina schmoozed.

"Well, you girls can have a free swimsuit on me. I hope it will make up for me taking my daughter away from you for a while," Kimiko said with an apologetic frown.

"Are you _kidding_? Keep her for as long as you want!" Star urged.

"Sorry, Kagome," Paulina replied sympathetically with a small shrug.

Kagome shook her head with a smile. "I get it. It's a free swimsuit. I just hope you pick cute ones," Kagome said before leaving with her mother. She followed her mother to the elevator with a confused frown. Once they were alone in the elevator, Kagome asked, "What's up, mama?"

Kimiko had a serious frown on her face. "I wouldn't expect you to have picked up on it, but there's a ghost in the store."

Kagome balked. "Is it Danny? What about Vlad?"

"I'm afraid not. It appears that the ghosts are no longer on vacation," Kimiko said and walked out once the elevator had taken them up to her office.

"So what do we do?" Kagome asked and quickly followed after her mother. "Should we call Danny?"

"Absolutely _not._ No offense to Danny, but I'd rather not have an all out brawl in the middle of my store," Kimiko said and walked over to her desk. She pulled open a drawer before taking out a small chest.

Kagome moved in close to observe. With a raised brow, she asked, "Is that salt?"

"Yep," Kimiko said before pouring some salt out into her hand.

"I didn't think that the salt thing actually worked on ghosts. I've seen Danny put extra salt on his fries all the time," Kagome said dubiously.

"By itself, salt doesn't have the ability to ward of spirits. Regular humans think it does though. You need a bit of magic to get it going. After that, it can do more than just ward of spirits," Kimiko explained.

"You know a lot about ghosts, mama," Kagome commented.

Kimiko stilled for a second before putting away the container of salt. "Well, I wouldn't be able to write over a hundred scientific papers on them if I didn't know a thing or two," Kimiko replied with a wink. "Watch and learn, sweetheart."

Kagome stood back and watched her mother whisper a few words to the salt in her palm before throwing the salt towards the middle of the room. Suddenly, a large figure flickered into existence before falling to the floor with a loud thud and groan. From where she stood, it looked like a metal suit shaped like a man with a flaming, neon green mohawk and matching goatee. He was glaring up at her mother from where he laid on the floor. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me why you are skulking around my store," Kimiko questioned with her arms folded over her her chest and a brow raised.

"I came to see if the rumors were true. I had heard that there was a powerful witch living in this town," the ghost said before pulling himself onto his feet.

"You've seen for yourself. So _now,_ you will leave peacefully. I don't take kind to ghosts causing problems on my property," Kimiko said in a warning tone.

" _Your_ property!? That's just like a witch. You think everywhere is your keep. I'll have you know that I have been around quite a bit longer than you have. Let me tell you. This is _not_ your town to rule," the ghost said with a harsh glare as he threateningly stepped closer.

Kimiko didn't back down. "Leave. _Now_. I will not ask again," Kimiko said.

"Any ghost would be a fool to oppose a witch after she's shorted out his powers," the ghost said before turning and walking away. "Luckily for me, I am more than capable of fighting my battles _without_ my ghostly abilities," the ghost said before raising his arm and firing a glowing, green net from a gun that was poking out of his wrist. Eyes wide, Kagome shouted to her mother fearfully. Kimiko cried out in pain as the neon net ensnared her and pinned her to the wall behind her. Kagome attempted to run to her, but the ghost spoke up again. "I wouldn't touch her if I were you. That net is charged with 150 milliamps. It's a bit difficult to do magic when you're essentially paralyzed. I give her a few minutes before she's a goner and I can add a witch's pelt to my collection."

"Let her go or else!" Kagome threatened. The ghost's suit managed to raise a brow at her before he started tapping away at a keypad on his forearm. Looking around her quickly, Kagome spotted a broom in the corner. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. "I _mean_ it. Let. Her. Go."

The ghost looked down at her wooden broom before guffawing loudly. He tossed his head back and held his stomach before wiping away an imaginary tear. "Run along, little girl. This is no place for-" the ghost said, but was cut off by the end of the broom smacking him roughly in the face. He didn't get much chance to cover. Within seconds, he was being hit from all sides by that stupid broom. "Stop that!" he shouted in irritation before gripping the broom by the handle.

"Let my mother go!" Kagome fired back before roughly striking him in the gut with her knee. She watched the ghost cough a few times as he stumbled backwards. Her knee was going to be bruised by tomorrow for sure. That suit was a lot harder than it looked. She'd never get anywhere with just trying to hit him through that suit. Looking down at her hands, Kagome glared at the ghost again. She ran at him quickly, quickly deflecting his punch at her head before charging her hands with her magic and shoving them at the ghost's torso with a shout. She had to duck her head to avoid getting any of the electric sparks that were flying from his suit in her eyes. When she looked up again, the ghost was slouched against the far wall of the room, his suit sparking wildly and singed.

Not wasting any more time, Kagome ran over to where her mother was pinned against the wall. She gripped the net, but quickly pulled her hands away. Her mother didn't keep any rubber gloves around her office, did she? Trying again, Kagome tugged as much as she could of the net out from where it was implanted into the wall. Once she had half the net out, she pulled her mother out of its hold before laying her onto the floor. Blinking away the tears forming from the burning and stinging feeling in her hands, Kagome held her unconscious mother to her. She didn't bat an eye at the ghost's clumsy attempt at fleeing the scene. She only knew one healing spell. She just prayed that it would be strong enough to fix this.


	4. The Enemy of My Enemy is My Enemy

Moi-Moi: Honestly, I haven't been writing anything for the past two weeks. I've had these past few (and the next few) chapters written for weeks now. I've been so busy and I don't see myself suddenly getting enough free time to update all my stories. :-/

For a picture of the plant described in this chapter, you can go here: www. wattpad . com 347510344 -drowning-in- power-book- 2-of-danny -phantom-trilogy (remove the eight spaces and you're golden ;D )

~:~

How could he have miscalculated and screwed up so badly!? He was the best hunter in the entire ghost zone! There wasn't a human alive who could compare to him. So, how did he manage to screw this up so badly? Perhaps he just wasn't ready? Despite going through extra lengths to ensure that his suit would be equipped with everything he needed to face a witch, he'd still lost and barely made it out alive. All because of that _other_ witch... What was _with_ today's youth!? Were they all this strong? First, the ghost child and now this witch?

Speaking of the whelp, where _was_ he? He'd normally be the first one to jump into a battle to defend his town. And yet, the ghost child hadn't even shown his face. Could those witches have gotten to him already? If they did, had they also found Plasmius?

Suddenly, Skulker's suit gave out on him with a loud explosion. He fell from the sky loudly and less than gracefully before colliding with the roof of a building. His ghost powers still weren't working and his suit was in desperate need of repair. But at this rate, he wouldn't be able to make it back to the ghost zone before those witches hunted him down. Lifting his forearm to press the screen of his touchpad, Skulker activated the ghost detector in his suit. Hopefully, the ghost child hadn't been wiped out. It beeped for a few seconds before a green dot appeared on the grid. "I must be more lucky than I thought," Skulker groaned in pain and began tapping on the screen again. He rerouted the remaining power in his suit to his jetpack and took off towards the ghost.

~:~

Danny sipped from his large soda with a small smile as he listened to Tucker complain about Sam's unique, gaming techniques. "You _cheated!"_ Tucker accused in a loud, frustrated tone while throwing his arms up in the air. Danny raised a brow expectantly while glancing at Sam.

"I didn't _cheat,_ Tucker. It's called having _actual_ skills. You should try it sometime," Sam declared proudly with her arms folded over her chest.

"Oh _come on!_ Danny, tell her that using hidden techniques is cheating!" Tucker shouted.

Danny finally released the straw from his mouth before raising his hands in a neutral gesture. "Hey, don't drag me into this one, Tuck."

Tucker groaned loudly while slumping. "Where's Kagome when you need her? She'd back me up on this like a _real_ friend," Tucker griped.

"Well, your _real_ friend is out shopping and getting a manicure. Feel free to join her at any time," Sam replied with a smug smirk. Tucker shot Sam a dry glare.

"Come on, guys. It's just a game," Danny reasoned with a small chuckle. He tossed his now finished soda into a trash can as he passed before slipping his hands into his pockets. "So, what do you guys want to do now?" Danny asked just before a misty gasp escaped his mouth.

Sam shot Danny an urgent look. "Looks like we've got company to keep us busy," she acknowledged before looking around. Tucker slipped his hand into his back pocket, his fingers gripping the lipstick laser he always kept on him. Danny glared up at the skies, his blue eyes seeking out movement. He had been having such a good day too! Leave it to a ghost to always ruin things for him.

Suddenly, a loud shout could be heard along with the whoosh of a jet engine. The three teens looked behind them in time to see Skulker of all people spiral out of control with a trail of black smoke behind him. Seeing that Skulker was heading towards them with no intent of slowing down, Danny quickly pushed his friends out of the way. Seconds later, Skulker crashed into the pavement roughly, parts of his suit breaking off and scattering around him. Danny warily observed the unmoving ghost where he rested in the large hole in the sidewalk.

"What happened to _him_?" Tucker questioned. "He looks like someone _already_ kicked his butt."

Danny had to agree. Skulker's suit was burned, sputtering, sparking, and falling apart. With tentative movements, he approached the suit while gesturing for Sam and Tucker to stay back. Once he was close enough, he rapped on Skulker's head twice. "Skulker?" Danny questioned as he tried to discern any signs of life. When he received a low groan in response, Danny grabbed Skulker's head before turning it to dislodge it from the suit.

"Be careful, Danny," Sam urged while reaching out for him.

Once Danny had the head off, he turned it upside down to look inside. " _Woah_ ," Danny exclaimed with wide eyes. He turned back to his friends. "He doesn't look too good, guys."

Sam and Tucker quickly looked over his shoulders to get a better view of Skulker's true form. The normally tiny ghost was lying uselessly within the helmet. The lower half of his body was gone- melted into a puddle of ectoplasm that sloshed around within the helmet. Suddenly, Skulker coughed roughly before blinking up at them. "Help me, ghost child," he whispered before passing out.

"What _happened_ to him?" Sam asked.

"What do we do?" Tucker asked Danny.

"We have to help him. He's the only one who can tell us who attacked him," Danny reasoned. Danny frowned before standing and handing the helmet to Sam.

She took it with a confused frown. "How are we going to help him?" Sam asked.

"I'm calling Kagome. Maybe she or her mom has some kind of spell that can help him. You guys take Skulker to her house. I'll bring his suit," Danny said and pulled out his phone.

"Are you sure she can help? I thought her powers _hurt_ ghosts. Not helped them," Sam pointed out.

"Well, yeah. But it's not like we can just borrow my dad's old Ecto-Dejecto anymore. He got it working. Remember?" Danny said and started dialing Kagome's number from memory. "Besides, she's shown me her healing spells. If she can't help, maybe her mom can."

"Alright, dude. We'll see you there," Tucker said before leading Sam down the street quickly.

Holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear, Danny glanced around cautiously before lugging Skulker's suit into a nearby alley and out of sight. "Come _on,_ Kagome. Pick up," Danny whispered as he changed into his ghost half.

" _H-hello?"_

"Kagome! I need your help. How fast can you get to your house?" Danny asked while lifting Skulker's suit up form the ground.

" _What's wrong, Danny?"_

"I need you to use one of your healing spells. You or your mom. This is serious," Danny urged and invisibly took to the air.

" _I'll be right there."_

~:~

Danny frowned deeply as he watched Skulker lay motionless in the plastic, food container they had rested him in. He was still melting away slowly, his ectoplasm bubbling with green wisps of green smoke rising up from it. "He's not looking so good, dude," Tucker commented with a frown. Danny sighed as he paced the floors of Kagome's bedroom.

"What kind of ghost can do this?" Sam asked as he eyes glanced at Skulker's beat down suit.

"I don't know," Danny replied and shook his head. He hadn't met a ghost who could do this much damage. Were they still in town? What if they were causing problems somewhere else?

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom was pushed open. The three teens froze up at once, their eyes going to the door. Danny was the first to step forward, but he froze at the sight before him. Kagome was supporting her mother, practically dragging her into the room. Immediately, Danny helped her carry her injured mother over to the bed. "What happened?" Danny asked frantically.

"A ghost attacked in my mom's store. I did the best that I could to help her injuries, but she's still pretty hurt," Kagome answered.

"I'm fine. Who else is injured, Danny?" Kimiko brushed off and looked up at Danny.

"He is," Sam answered and showed Kimiko the plastic container with Skulker's dissolving form.

Kimiko's brows furrowed. "A ghost?" she questioned.

Kagome frowned in confusion before noticing the pile of metal on the floor in her room. She pointed to it with wide eyes. "W-where did you get that?"

"It's Skulker's suit. He crash landed right in front of us. Whatever did this to him must have destroyed his suit, too," Danny explained.

"I did it," Kagome confessed.

"What?" Danny asked in surprise.

"He came to my mother's store, threatened her, and pinned her to wall with an electrified net. He could have killed her," Kagome explained with anger in her tone.

Danny wasn't sure how to respond to that. He stared down at Skulker's dissolving form before glancing back at the suit. Kagome had done _that?_ He knew that her magic hurt a little, but he didn't think that she was capable of...

Kimiko sighed before slowly standing. When Kagome tried to support her, she shook her head slowly. "Kagome, bring me the trunk I keep under my bed. If we're going to help him, we'd better do something fast," Kimiko said. Kagome nodded before quickly dashing out of the room.

"What are you going to do?" Danny asked.

"His ghostly core looks unstable and deteriorating by the second. Once his physical form reverts into ectoplasm, it won't be long before his core and consciousness are gone," Kimiko said. Danny's eyes widened fearfully.

Seconds later, Kagome came wobbling into the room with a large, wooden chest in her arms. Danny was quick to take the chest from her and easily carry it over to Kimiko. With a quick wave of her hand, the latch on the trunk opened and the lid raised on its own. The teens all gathered around to examine the various jars of dried materials and liquids inside. They watched Kimiko take a mortar and pestle from the trunk as well as a glass jar with some sort of plant inside. The plants looked like white stalks with drooping, pipe-shaped flowers. They had a slight green glow to it.

"What's that, mama?" Kagome questioned.

"It's an extremely rare type of Indian Pipe, also known as the corpse plant," Kimiko answered and opened the jar.

Immediately, Kagome, Sam, and Tucker covered their noses in revulsion. "Why does it _smell_ like that!?" Sam exclaimed and dry heaved. It smelled like a rotting animal and sewage!

Kimiko wrinkled her nose before taking out one stalk and covering the jaw once again. "Its smell is a sort of warning. It's extremely poisonous to any living creature," Kimiko explained before smirking. "But you don't think it smells bad. Do you, Danny?" Kimiko asked while ripping apart one stalk and grinding it up.

"Not really. It smells like an herb that my mom would cook with," Danny answered. The others stared at him incredulously.

"Dude, you need to get your sense of smell checked," Tucker declared in a muffled voice from within his shirt.

"There's nothing wrong with his sense of smell. The plant doesn't smell disgusting to him because he's half-ghost. I'm sure that Danny is the only one who could eat it and survive. If any of us tired to eat even a little bit, our intestines would dissolve and we'd bleed to death from the inside out," Kimiko said while adding a few drops of a clear liquid to the mortar. Everyone shot Kimiko a wide-eyed stare before exchanging wary glances. "There. This should do the trick," Kimiko said and poured the mixture directly on top of Skulker. While she packed away her supplies, the teens all crowded around the container to observe.

"Look!"

They all watched as Skulker's body slowly reformed and the puddle of ectoplasm shrunk before disappearing altogether. Soon enough, Skulker was fully reformed and blinking his red eyes slowly. "Skulker?" Danny questioned. "Are you okay?"

Skulker groaned before looking around at the faces around him. The ghost child had helped him. Looks like he was good for something other than the hunt. Skulker was about to mention this out loud, but his eyes landed on the last face that was watching him. With a shrill scream, Skulker backed up into the edge of the container before flying out wildly. While floating above everyone in the room, Skulker glared down at Kagome. "Stay _away_ from me, witch!" Skulker shouted and threateningly waved his fist at her.

"Skulker, calm down. Kagome's mom just saved your life," Danny reasoned.

Not liking that he was so exposed, Skulker quickly flew into his lifeless suit. The suit shook and rumbled lowly before slowly rising off the ground with clumsy movements. With a hunched posture, Skulker glared at Kagome and Kimiko in distrust. "When I asked you for help, whelp, I thought you would have given it. I didn't think you would be so cruel as to hand deliver me to these witches," Skulker said with a growl.

"Look, Skulker. Kagome's mom just _saved_ you," Danny tried again.

"After her daughter nearly vaporized me!" Skulker exclaimed and pointed an accusing finger at Kagome.

"You almost _killed_ my mother!" Kagome argued back.

"Well, it would have been one less witch in the world," Skulker grumbled.

When Danny noticed Kagome stalking awards Skulker threateningly, he held her back by the arm. "Skulker, what's this all about? Why'd you hurt Kagome's mom?" Danny interrogated.

"I heard the rumors that there was a powerful witch living in town. I came to see if they were true. I didn't think that you would allow them to stay in your town. A part of me thought that maybe they'd already done away with you and kept your ectoplasm as proof of their successful hunt," Skulker answered.

"First off, _gross_. And second, Kagome and her mom aren't hunting ghosts. They're friends," Danny argued.

"That's just what they want you to believe. You can _never_ trust a witch," Skulker affirmed. His eyes narrowed at Kagome in distrust. "They think of themselves as gods in charge of keeping peace, but they're nothing but cruel monsters. They use their magic as a means of hunting down ghosts. There's no peace keeping about it. They hunt for sport."

"Says the ghost zone's greatest hunter," Sam couldn't help but comment with a raised brow.

"Heed my words, whelp. Soon, they'll show their true colors. And when they do, no ghost will want to help you fight them," Skulker promised before turning intangible and flying away. Danny watched him go with a deep frown. Kagome and her mother weren't evil ghost hunters. What Kagome did... She only did it to save her mom.

"Mama? He wasn't serious. Was he?" Kagome asked her mother in a hesitant voice.

"Kagome, just like there are both good and bad ghosts, there are good and bad witches," Kimiko answered. Kagome frowned before looking down at her hands. A bad witch, huh? While she was staring down at the red blisters, she felt Danny take her hands in his. Looking up at him, he was offering her a small smile. Kagome returned the smile weakly.

~:~

When Skulker had returned to the Ghost Zone with tales of his deadly run in with two witches in Amity Park, the news spread like wildfire. The metaphorical headline read something like, " _Witches In Amity Park! NO Ghost Is Safe."_ Dozens of ghosts panicked for their afterlives. What should they do? Should they flee? Were they safe in the Ghost Zone? If regular humans had gotten in, what would stop the witches? Were _more_ coming!?

Being a ghost who saw the value in order and justice, Walker could only frown in displeasure at the chaos this news had on the inmates of his prison. He'd already had to suppress at least three riots and stop over five, prison break attempts! Just the knowledge that there was a _slight_ possibility that witches could enter the Ghost Zone had the ghosts spooked.

But witches wouldn't _dare_ to enter his prison. That was against the rules. And by causing all these riots and attempted break outs, they'd already broken their fair share of rules. With a deep frown on his face, Walker called for his second in command, Bullet.

"You called, sir?" Bullet spoke while adjusting his red cape.

"Yes. Is there any more news about those witches?" Walker asked as he folded his hands behind his back.

"There isn't much to report, sir. I just keep hearing more of the same. Two witches attacked the hunter and are now allying themselves with the ghost child," Bullet said with a careless shrug.

Walker turned to him quickly with a sharp expression. " _What!?_ Allying with the ghost child? That's new news to me," Walker said in his Southern drawl. A smirk slowly slid onto his face as Walker chuckled. "Aiding and abetting a known criminal? Now _that's_ against the rules."


	5. Superhero Complexes

Moi-Moi: For their support here on FF, this chapter is dedicated to Applejax XD and Destiny W. *slowly drowns in an ocean made of my tears of gratitude* :'-D

~:~

Kagome laid on her side on her bed as she stared blankly at her wall. She'd been laying in this position from the moment her friends had left that afternoon. Danny had offered to stay with her, but she'd denied the chance. She wanted to be alone. She needed to think about a few things.

Good and bad witches. Kagome had always known that ghosts and witches didn't get along. But she had no idea how deep the hatred between them ran. That ghost, Skulker, looked like he genuinely hated her without even knowing her. He _did_ have a reason to though. She nearly turned him into a puddle of ectoplasm.

But she hadn't meant to! She just touched him with her magically-charged hands. She'd touched Danny all the time and he never melted into a puddle. How was she supposed to know that her powers were so... _deadly?_ What she needed was some help- _serious_ help.

Hearing two, soft knocks on her bedroom door, Kagome called out, "Come in."

"Hello, Kagome. How are you feeling?" Vlad asked and poked his head into the room.

"I'm fine."

Kagome kept up her staring contest with the wall, despite Vlad entering and coming over to stand next to her bed. "Your mother says that you had quite the day today. I'm sorry your outing with your friends was ruined," Vlad said with a frown.

"S'okay. I can go shopping anytime," Kagome replied.

Vlad folded and unfolded his arms over his chest. It was usually a lot easier to talk to Kagome. He had actually been able to get along quite well with Kagome. Their camaraderie had almost made Vlad wish that he had had children. "Are you hungry? Dinner is almost ready," Vlad prompted.

"I'll be down in a little while."

Vlad sighed before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I won't pretend to understand what you're feeling. Nor will I pretend to know the first thing about talking to teenagers. But I'm willing to objectively listen to whatever it is that is bothering you," Vlad tried. Was he even doing this right? Teenagers could be so temperamental. It was so easy to say the wrong thing. Maybe he should let Kimiko handle this? But he did want to help. Not for appearance's sake, but because he was genuinely worried about Kagome.

It took a while, but eventually she did respond to him. "I've only _just_ found a way to control my magic, but all the control in the world won't help me if I don't have any idea how to use it. I nearly killed a ghost today going off of my instincts. That's _scary_. What if Skulker was right and all witches are instinctively ghost hunters?"

"Well then I would say that your mother does an excellent job of proving him wrong," Vlad answered. He would have to have a chat with Skulker about this. He couldn't have his employee going around and threatening this family.

"...She does. Doesn't she?" Kagome asked while sitting up slowly. Vlad watched Kagome stare at her wall with a look of intense consideration before realization took over. "That's it! Thank you, Vlad!" Kagome shouted happily while quickly embracing him. Before he could even respond, she was quickly dashing out of the room.

"Glad I could help?" Vlad said while standing with a shrug.

Kimiko was in the middle of resting the lasagna she had made onto the kitchen table when Kagome had suddenly slid on socked feet into the room. "Mama!" she shouted excitedly before rushing over to Kimiko. "I need your help."

"With what? What's going-"

"That ghost, Skulker, said that all witches are evil, ghost hunters. But, he was wrong. _You're_ not like that, mama. You know how to use your magic without hurting anyone. You have to teach me," Kagome explained quickly.

"Mom's giving magic lessons now?" Judai questioned from where he sat at the table with a smirk. He was slipping bits of food to Aki under the table as his eyes went back and forth between his mother and sister.

"Yes. She is," Kagome asserted.

Kimiko's mouth opened and closed several times in shock. "Now, Kagome. I'm not sure I'll be too much help. I'm not even sure where to begin. I had to learn it all on my own. My mother wasn't the best teacher," Kimiko said.

"But you know it all _now_. You can teach it to me. You gave me all the books, mama. But none of that really helped this afternoon," Kagome argued. "I nearly melted a ghost and I could barely heal you when you were hurt!"

"You melted a ghost!? That's so _cool!"_ Judai exclaimed with a grin. Kagome shot her brother an annoyed look.

"Kagome, it's not as easy as you think. You're asking me to teach you how to use your magic in a way totally opposite to how it works," Kimiko reasoned. At Kagome's quickly dropping expression, Kimiko sighed. It really wasn't a simple thing. There are just some things that can't be changed. Out of the corner of her eye, Kimiko spotted Vlad standing in the doorway. When she glanced at him, he was giving her an encouraging gesture with his hands. "I don't think it's possible to learn how to not harm ghosts with our powers. But I'm sure I can find something to teach you about helping them," Kimiko acquiesced.

Kagome gave a thousand-watt smile before tackling her mother in a tight hug. "Thank you, mama! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Judai poked at the food on his plate with a small pout. "I still think melting them sounds pretty cool..." he grumbled.

~:~

"Magic lessons?" Danny repeated as he watched Kagome run her brush through her hair. He was lounging on her bed with his back against her headboard. "I don't get it. Wasn't she teaching you before?"

"Sort of. But, not like this. It was mostly hands off learning before, but now she's been more hands on," Kagome explained. "It also wasn't helping that I wasn't spending a lot of time practicing."

"You were doing magic all the time when I was around," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah. But those were just little spells and I always had a book to reference. My mom can do spells and brew potions from memory," Kagome replied. Once she was satisfied with her hair, she placed the brush down onto the table and gave Danny a serious look. "When my mom was hurt, I could barely do anything to help her, Danny. And if ghosts are going to be coming back, more people could get hurt. What if it was you? It's not like you can go to a hospital and get immediate care. If I can protect the people I care about, I want to learn how."

Care about? She cared about him? What did _that_ mean? Did she _like_ him? She probably meant as a friend. Like how Dam and Tucker cared about him. _'Focus, Fenton.'_ Danny nodded and went over to Kagome with a small, encouraging smile on his face. "Don't worry. I get it. I'm glad you have someone to help you figure this all out. I'll help you however I can," Danny said and rested his hand on her shoulder.

Kagome's eyes went from his hand, up to his face, before landing on his hand again. With a sort of awkward noise, Danny took his hand away before slipping it into his pocket and out of sight. Giggling softly, Kagome stood up from her vanity and faced Danny directly with a knowing look. "You don't have to tell me twice, Danny. I know you have a superhero complex and can't stop yourself from helping people," Kagome teased and walked around him.

"Superhero complex?" Danny repeated skeptically.

Kagome rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Don't try to pretend that if you heard some random person crying out for help, you could ignore them," Kagome said and turned to leave.

Superhero complex? He didn't have a superhero complex. Danny was about to argue with her, but stopped when he saw Kagome suddenly trip and fall onto the floor. Argument banished from his mind, Danny was at her side in an instant. "Are you okay?" Danny asked with his hands hovering over her.

"No. My ankle," Kagome groaned with a pained look on her face.

"Should I get some ice or something? Here. Let me help you up," Danny said and moved to wrap his arms around her. His arms were around her back and under her knees, fully ready to lift her off the floor when he felt Kagome shaking. With a curious expression, he glanced at her. She was...laughing? Danny frowned at her. "You're _hilarious,"_ he said dryly.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said between giggles. It took a while, but she eventually won a smile from her pouty friend. He even chuckled a bit with a shake of his head. "It's actually a very nice trait to have. Everyone loves a hero," Kagome said and patted his cheek lightly.

In the middle of the two sitting on the floor of Kagome's bedroom and smiling at each other, the bedroom door quietly swung open. So wrapped up in their inside joke, they hadn't noticed that they'd been caught until a pair of black slack and polished dress shoes were only a few feet away. Danny was quick to remove his arms from around Kagome and stand while Kagome pulled herself onto her feet and dusted out her clothes. Vlad raised a brow at the two before clearing his throat. "Kagome, your mother says that dinner is ready," Vlad informed.

"T-thanks, Vlad. I'll go down right now," Kagome said and quickly exited the room.

Vlad watched her go before giving Danny an even stare. "Daniel, this may be an old fashioned notion, but I highly doubt that it is appropriate for a young man to be in a young woman's bedroom unsupervised," Vlad pointed out with a narrowed gaze.

Danny glared back. "Not that it's any of _your_ business, Plasmius, but we were just talking," Danny said with a roll of his eyes. Danny tensely walked around Vlad with a scoff. "We're not little kids, Vlad. We're _seventeen,_ " Danny said before leaving.

"Now, why _doesn't_ that reassure me?" Vlad muttered to himself before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. In the few months he'd spent with Kagome's family, he'd actually formed a very nice routine and relationship with this family. Even his relationship with Judai was coming along. Slowly, but surely. Despite not actually having any family relation to Kagome, Vlad couldn't help but feel slightly protective of the girl. Vlad knew that Daniel was probably one of the most respectable young men in this town, but old habits were hard to break.

~:~

Walker faced the squadron of guards that he had assembled for the most important task of their afterlives. To be perfectly truthful, most of his men were spineless followers. Just watching them stand at attention with eyes filled with doubt and anxiety was enough to disgust and annoy him. Bullet stood at his side with a look of pure seriousness on his face. Walker always knew that Bullet sometimes let his command go to his head. The ghost often thought of himself as bigger than he actually was. But still, there wasn't anyone more loyal to take up the position of his second in command.

"Now, listen up. You are to follow Bullet to the human world and apprehend the criminals. I expect absolute professionalism. Get the job _done_ ," Walker said in his customary drawl with his arms folded behind his back. "Any questions?"

Walker was surprised when a hand actually went up. He couldn't remember the guard's name, and probably wouldn't care to find out. The timid looking ghost looked around at the others floating next to him before speaking. "Sir, h-how are we supposed to catch a witch?"

"My intel tells me that this witch is untrained and inexperienced. It shouldn't be too much of a hassle if your smart and fast," Walker answered. "Once you return with the witch in custody, we'll focus on the other one and the ghost child. Dismissed."

"You heard the warden! Let's move!" Bullet immediately shouted before leading the small, reluctant army away. A witch. A _witch!_ He was going to take down an "all powerful" witch. This wasn't some petty criminal or a runaway werewolf. This was a serious threat to all ghosts everywhere. Bullet smirked.

~:~

Going for morning walks with Aki usually left Kagome feeling peaceful and refreshed for the day to come. Based on last night's dinner events, she would need at least three walks to calm her nerves. She'd never thought that family dinner with Vlad and Danny could be so tense and stressful. She knew that Danny still greatly disliked Vlad while Vlad wasn't too fond of Danny. But she'd still hoped that dinner would have gone smoother. Unfortunately, Vlad's talent for antagonizing Danny, Danny's short temper, and a table full of lasagna wasn't a good mix.

Kagome and her mother had done their best to keep the dinner conversation to safe topics, such as the weather or Aki learning how to play dead. But it had always _somehow_ gotten back to Vlad's less than subtle attempts at poking fun at Danny. All subjects were fair game for Vlad, from Danny's less accomplished control over his powers to his unruly hair. Of course, Danny hadn't taken the teasing lightly. All aspects of Vlad's character as well as his past... _transgressions_ were hinted at. By the end of the meal, Danny had been an inch away from transforming, Vlad had had his plate of food splattered onto his face by an ecto-blast, Judai was dying of laughter ( _lucky)_ , Kagome had hung her head in frustration, and Kimiko had been extremely vocal about the mess _on her walls_. Needless to say, it would be quite some time before anyone even _thought_ of trying that again.

Ending their walk in the park, as usual, Kagome kneeled down to unclip the leash from Aki's collar. With excited pants, Aki stared up at her with wide eyes. "Alright. Alright. I'm coming," Kagome said as she tucked away the leash in her messenger bag before pulling out a used tennis ball. She laughed at Aki's sudden burst of energy. "Okay. Ready? I'll time you. Go get it!" Kagome exclaimed and chucked the ball as hard as she could. Like a bullet, Aki dashed off after it, retrieved the ball, and ran back over. "Twenty-six seconds. Impressive," Kagome praised as she accepted the ball. With a smirk on her face, Kagome said, "Bet you can't find it a second time."

Using her magic to temporarily turn the ball invisible, Kagome once again tossed it. Despite being invisible, Aki was quick to set out after it, his nose buried in the grass. Kagome watched him search with her eyes glancing at her watch. When Aki suddenly barked loudly before trotting over to her with his jaw open, Kagome smiled. It looked like Aki was passing her nothing but air, but Kagome knew better. "Good boy. Fifty-four seconds. I can't get anything past you," Kagome said and scratched behind Aki's ears.

"Kagome?"

She knew that voice. Oh boy. Standing slowly, Kagome turned to face none other than Dash Baxter with a small smile on her face. So far, she'd managed to go the first two weeks of summer vacation without running into Dash. It's not that she was _avoiding_ him per say. She was just going through extra lengths to make sure that they didn't run into each other in public. She didn't hate Dash. She just didn't care for his flirty behavior. "Hello, Dash."

"Hey. I didn't know you have a dog. I guess that's something new we have in common," Dash said.

Kagome raised a brow at him in confusion before hearing a high-pitched yip. Glancing down, Kagome was surprised to see a brown Chihuahua at Dash's feet. She hadn't pegged Dash for the type to own a Chihuahua. Personally, she didn't care for the small, yappy dogs. "Yeah. Go figure," Kagome responded.

"So, listen. I don't know if you heard, but there's going to be this carnival coming to town next weekend. Normally, that stuff is kind of lame, but if you're into it..." Dash trailed off.

"I heard about it. Danny and I already bought tickets," Kagome said. Her eyes widened slightly. "Well, we bought tickets for us _and_ Sam and Tucker. The four of us. We're all going. Together. Not just me and Danny..." Kagome sputtered and nearly hung her head. Great. This was why people thought they were dating...

"That's cool... Paulina and I are going. I might win her one of those stuffed animal things. She's really into that," Dash said in a casual voice as he shrugged and folded his arms over his chest. Was it working? Kagome didn't _look_ jealous. Maybe she was good at acting? Great. Now, he had to get Paulina to go with him... Since she'd ended their on-again-off-again relationship last time, he'd probably have to play the role of "desperate ex" just to get her to go out with him again.

Kagome wasn't sure whether or not to congratulate the boy. Personally, she felt that Dash and Paulina's casual approach to dating was probably the worst example there was to healthy relationship. But what did she know? The most experience she had with a boy was that "barely happened" kiss she'd shared with Danny last year. Fortunately, she was spared from having to share her reservations about Dash's dating habits when Aki suddenly started growling lowly with his teeth bared. The brown Akita was snarling at the bushes behind the teens with his fur standing on end. Without a second of warning, Aki took off into the bushes with loud barks. "Aki! Come back here!" Kagome called out and proceeded to give chase.

Dash hesitated for only a second before picking up his dog, Pookie, and following after the girl. The dog was probably chasing after a squirrel or something. Or, at least, that's what Dash had _thought_ the dog was chasing. When he had caught up to Kagome, he'd frozen up on the spot when he saw that her dog was snarling after two ghosts that were dressed in matching, security uniforms. One ghost pointed its green baton at them and shouted, "You there! Freeze! You're under arrest!"

Dash screamed. It wasn't his proudest moment. But to be honest, it was a reflex. Besides, it was the expected response to scream and run for your life when a ghost was near. I mean, have you _seen_ what a ghost can do? They don't just shake some furniture and make those creepy moaning noises, despite what the Paranormal Entity movies would have you believe. Based on these facts, Dash felt that it was totally appropriate to run for his life and scream at the top of his lungs for help. He was surprised when Kagome had grabbed his wrist, cut him off mid-scream, and proceeded to pull him away from the scene. He ran behind her with Pookie tucked under his arm for safety and his eyes jumping around the forest. "Do you even know where you're going? Everything looks the same to me!" Dash exclaimed.

"Almost anywhere is better than back there!" Kagome shouted back at him. This was not how she planned for her morning to go. While she was confident in her ability to protect herself from the ghosts, she wasn't so enthused about having to do it in front of Dash. Based on Dash's response to those two ghosts, she had the oddest feeling that he would freak out in the worst way possible if he saw her doing magic. The existence of witches and magic were a secret for a reason. Humans had a tendency to despise and fear things they didn't understand. Just the idea that witches existed had led to mass hysteria and gruesome witch hunts. Nope. It would be better if her family's magic stayed secret. Spotting some ghosts flying past ahead, Kagome quickly stopped before pushing Dash into some bushes to hide. The jock made some surprised noises, but she was quick to cover his mouth with her hand and shoot him and urgent look. Even Aki was doing a better job of keeping low and quiet. Peeking out slowly, Kagome watched four more ghosts fly by. How many of them were out here!?

Fear. Terror. Panic. Was he going to die out here? He couldn't _die_ out here! He had a future! He was supposed to go off to college on a football scholarship! What about prom!? Glancing at Kagome, Dash was shocked at how calm she looked. She didn't look freaked out at all! Idly, Dash couldn't help but realize how close together they were in this bush. He nearly rolled his eyes. Of all the times to get stuck close together with Kagome. They _had_ to be running for their lives. Crap luck and timing.

"Come on. The coast is clear," Kagome whispered before standing and walking out from the bush.

"Then let's get out of here," Dahs fired back urgently. Quickly, the pair took off towards what they hoped was a way out of the forest.

" _Freeze!"_

Kagome skidded to a stop as a ghost with an eye patch and red cape was suddenly glaring at her with two of those security ghosts flanking him. Aki was growling at her side and Kagome could hear Dash panicking behind her. "We're dead. We're so dead. I can't die. _Please_ don't let me die out here," he was repeating quickly.

Losing her patience, Kagome snapped out, "Dash! Shut up!" Hearing immediate silence from the boy, Kagome felt a twinge of guilt at her rough treatment. "Thank you," she said in a softer tone.

"There's no where to run," Eye Patch said while taking a step forward.

"Where's Danny Phantom?" Dash fretted. Danny? Probably still in bed sleeping. Taking a step backwards, Kagome slipped her hand into her messenger bag and felt around inside. If she moved fast, she could probably incapacitate the ghosts without Dash noticing.

"Hands where I can see them!" Eye Patch yelled and pointed a gun at her. Dash screamed again as both he and Kagome's hands shot straight up into the air. Kagome glared harshly at the ghost. With a vicious snarl and no hesitation, Aki pounced at Eye Patch Ghost and sunk his teeth into the ghost's arm. "Argh! Magical dog! I can't phase it off! Get it off me!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Kagome quickly pushed Dash down onto the ground and out of the line of fire. As quick as she could, Kagome grabbed the salt shaker from her bag and poured out a handful.

Dash could hear Pookie whimpering into his chest. The tiny dog was shaking in his arms as Dash laid on the dirt. Like his four-legged friend, Dash was closing to shaking his letterman. But he had to do _something_. He was the guy! He was supposed to fight off the attacker. Right? But how do you fight off a ghost? He'd seen Danny Phantom fight off ghosts before. It couldn't be _too_ hard... Rolling over onto his back, Dash prepared himself for the fight he was about to take on, but stopped. His eyes widened as he watched Kagome toss her bag to the side before rushing at the ghost who had just pointed a _gun_ at them. He was about to scream at her, but his screams died out when he saw her skillfully take the gun away from the ghost before landing a punch directly on the ghost's nose.

The ghost cried out in pain while clutching his nose. "She got me! Don't just _stand_ there! _Get her!"_

With jaw slightly agape, Dash watched the two ghosts slowly float towards Kagome. Before they could get two close, she fired two, warning shots of a green ray at the ground in front of the ghosts. With terrified screams, the ghosts dropped their batons and flew off. ' _Woah,'_ Dash couldn't help but think.

" _Fine._ I'll bring you down myself," Eye Patch said before charging at Kagome.

It was like watching a really well choreographed fight scene from a martial arts movie. Dash never would have expected it from Kagome. She was so small and nice and stuff. Who knew she could kick serious butt!? That ghost didn't stand a chance. None of his punches hit their target, but all of Kagome's punches and kicks hit their marks. She didn't even need the gun! With a final roundhouse kick to the head, Kagome knocked the ghost out cold.

Taking a few deep breaths, Kagome turned to where she had pushed Dash to find him staring at her with an astonished gaze. She had been completely focused on the fight just a few seconds ago, but now that the threat was averted, she could feel the bashfulness sinking in. "I... I know a little karate," Kagome offered.

"That is _so_ cool," Dash replied.

"Let's just get out of here," Kagome said and led Dash away from the area.

"Yeah. Totally," Dash said in a dazed voice. _Geez_. Fenton was one lucky loser...

~:~

Later that morning, Kagome was delicately wrapping a bandage around Aki's front leg on the floor in her bedroom. She had long since split up from Dash and returned home to her mother's worried questioning. Judai had been excited to hear her story of "major butt kicking", but Kimiko had to take several deep breaths to calm her rising blood pressure. Now, Kagome was tending to Aki while her mother was out searching for any remaining ghosts with Vlad. "You were so brave, Aki. Like a real fighter," Kagome praised and rubbed the dog's belly.

"Tell me again what the ghost with the eye patch wanted," Judai said as he stared at his sister from where he laid on her bed.

"I don't know. They kept saying something about me being under arrest," Kagome repeated.

"So, they wanted to arrest you? For _what_?"

"I don't know," Kagome replied and closed the first aid kit.

"That's dumb," Judai commented before staring down at Aki. "I thought it was a dumb idea to feed Aki herbs to make him impervious to ghosts, but it was actually pretty smart. He really saved your butt today."

"You can tell mom that when she gets back home," Kagome said and picked up the first aid kit from the floor.

Judai was about to say something else, but the words died on his tongue when Danny Phantom suddenly popped into the room and the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open roughly by Sam and Tucker. "Geez. Do none of your friends know how to knock?" Judai commented with a roll of his eyes before leaving.

"We heard about the ghost attack," Sam started.

"Are you hurt?" Danny asked with a panicked expression and flew over to her to observe her.

"No..." Kagome responded as Danny flew around her several times. "How did you-"

"News travels fast in this town. Especially when Dash is going around telling people that you're some kind of ninja that beat up a ghost," Tucker inputted.

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Thanks for the concern, guys. But, I'm _fine._ If anything, you should be more worried about Dash."

"It's just that this is the second time you've fought a ghost off. There could be something up," Sam suggested. "Trust us on this one. We've been doing this for a while and these things aren't usually coincidental."

"Well, I'm not sure what we can do about it now. My mom and Vlad have been out searching the park, but they haven't seen any signs of ghost activity," Kagome said.

"Maybe the ghosts all ran off?" Tucker suggested.

"If that's the case, do you think we should take a trip into the Ghost Zone and see what's up, Danny?" Sam asked.

"Uh, yeah. My parents are out chasing ghosts. We can go now," Danny said offhandedly. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up," Danny said. Sam and Tucker exchanged a look before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them.

Deciding not to comment on Danny's strange behavior, Kagome asked instead, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. That's okay. You've had enough ghost encounters for one day," Danny denied. "Just promise me that you'll stay out of trouble?"

"I always stay out of trouble. I can't help it that trouble finds me," Kagome replied with a smirk. She had been only joking with him, but at Danny's slightly saddened expression, Kagome sobered up. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"This is the second time that one of my enemies has attacked you and I wasn't even there to help. What if it's my fault?"

"Is that what you're acting all weird about? Danny, it's not your fault. I'll have you know that none of the ghosts who've attacked me have even mentioned you," Kagome said.

"Well, I still should have been there to help you. You know that you could have called me today. Right?" Danny insisted.

"I'm sure you realize how hard it is to wake you up in the morning. Besides, how would I have explained to Dash why I'm calling _you_ and not the police?" Kagome replied.

"I don't care what Dash would have thought," Danny brushed off. "You could have called. I would have gotten up for you. Heck, I would have run to you in my pajamas if I had to."

She couldn't help but laugh at the mental image. "There's that superhero complex talking again," Kagome said with a teasing smile. "Thank you, Danny. But you don't need to feel like you have to protect me all the time. I am fully capable of defending myself."

"I know. It just gives me peace of mind," Danny said with a sigh as his gloved hand ran through his snow white hair. Kagome didn't doubt any of Danny's words for a second. He had a knack for really knowing how to warm you up from the inside out with his sweet words and kind gestures.

It was time for him to go. He was getting dangerously close to doing something that would not only freak Kagome out, but it would probably ruin their friendship too. He'd been relatively good at respecting her wishes to remain _just_ friends. He even tried to convince himself that they could be just friends because he didn't like her (too much). But that was a lost cause. Taking a step back, Danny was slowly getting his body and mind to understand that he needed to get out of here. "Danny?" he heard her call out to him. He'd been so close. But like the flip of a switch, his body traitorously gave up on fleeing and quickly turned to face her. He gave her a questioning look, but she only smiled brightly at him in return.

If he were in his human form, his heart most likely would have skipped a few beats. When she leaned towards him, he would have forgotten how to breathe. When her lips touched the skin of his cheek, his face would have erupted in a heated blush. But he wasn't human right now. So instead, he felt his entire body freeze up at the same time that his limbs lost their solid form and took on a wispy appearance. Glancing down at himself in confusion, Danny felt his embarrassment rising. It was like the first few months of having his powers all over again! "Uh... I... I'm gonna go meet up with Tucker and Sam. But, I'll call you later. O-okay?" Danny stuttered a bit before floating up towards the ceiling. Kagome watched him float slowly with a small smile, until he bumped his head on the ceiling. She quickly covered her mouth to stifle her giggles, but he could still hear them. "T-the roof is solid... I'm gonna go intangible first," he said.

"That would probably be best," Kagome agreed smartly. She watched him disappear from her room quickly before giggling to herself and shaking her head fondly.


	6. Number One Ghost Enemy

"Do you guys think we should talk to Skulker first? He seemed like he might know more than what he told us last time," Danny suggested into his headset. He flew ahead of the Specter Speeder with his eyes peeled for any sign of movement. They'd been flying through the Ghost Zone for about ten minutes now and hadn't seen a single soul. Usually, there were a few generic-looking ghosts flying about and minding their own businesses. But the Ghost Zone looked like a real- pardon the pun- ghost town.

" _That sounds like a good idea_ ," Sam agreed over the headset.

" _Dude, Kagome didn't want to come with us? I figured she'd at least want to know why those goons were after her,"_ Tucker asked.

"She offered, but I told her to stay home. She's been through enough for one day," Danny answered. Besides, Danny wasn't sure he could be around Kagome right now without blushing brightly. It had only been a kiss to the cheek! He couldn't imagine how he would react to a real kiss... Danny subtly shook himself out. He had to focus right now.

" _It's probably for the best. You remember how Skulker reacted to her last time. I've got the feeling that bringing a witch into the ghost zone isn't a smart move,"_ Sam interjected.

"Kagome wouldn't purposefully hurt anyone," Danny quickly defended. "Skulker had attacked her first. It was self-defense."

" _That's not what I meant, Danny. I was just saying that the ghosts wouldn't have the best reaction to her,"_ Sam fought back.

" _What ghosts? There's no one around. It's like they've all disappeared,"_ Tucker questioned.

"You don't think they're all gone because of Kagome and her mom. Right?" Danny asked and glanced back at his friends.

" _It's possible. Skulker had said that he'd heard the rumors and came looking. Maybe other ghosts decided to run and hide instead of go looking,"_ Sam suggested smartly.

Danny suddenly stopped flying and turned to face his friends. He glanced down at them with a troubled expression. "But they wouldn't all just up and leave their homes like this. Some of them might, but not ghosts like Frostbite and his people," Danny argued.

" _Well, we can start there,"_ Sam said. Danny nodded in agreement before changing his course and heading towards the Far Frozen. Tucker was quick to step down on the accelerator in order to keep up with Danny. " _Don't get your hopes up too much though. Frostbite lives in a frozen wasteland isolated from most ghosts. He might not know much."_

"It's worth a shot if he's the only one around. Besides, we can always try someone else afterwards," Danny replied. It wasn't a big deal.

~:~

When they'd gotten to the Far Frozen, nothing had initially seemed out of order. Snow and ice as far as the eye could see and not a soul around. But after a few minutes of flying towards the city, the group was nearly struck down by a stray freeze blast. After relying on reflex to dodge the blast, the trio glanced below them to see who had attacked. They hadn't expected what they'd seen.

" _It looks like we got here just in time for an all out war,"_ Danny heard Sam's voice through his headsetas he stared at the chaotic scene below. It looked like the yetis of the Far Frozen were fighting off several ghosts- some of which were familiar. They could make out Dora breathing fire down onto the field with Sydney Poindexter on her back.

"Why are they fighting anyways?" Danny asked.

" _Yeah. And who's winning_?" Tucker questioned.

Not hesitating any longer, the three flew down towards the large crowd and stopped a safe distance away. With astonished expressions, they watched the yetis violently fend off the many ghosts that were attacking them. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the ghosts were trying to push past all the yetis. Before Danny could call out to them, a loud roar shook the tundra and momentarily paused the fight. Everyone present covered their ears to block out the deep roar, but it wasn't much help. Danny was sure that his ghostly wail was louder than this, but this roar was still a force of its own. Peeking a eye open, Danny glanced around to find the source. ' _Frostbite?'_ Danny thought at the same time that the leader's roar had died down. Danny stood up straight and moved in closer to hear what Frostbite was saying.

"...not stay here! Leave at once or you will be dealt with without remorse," Frostbite declared. Immediately, the crowd of ghosts raged.

"Frostbite!" Danny shouted out before flying over to the larger ghost. Tucker was quick to follow, just in case things got too crazy. "What's going on here?"

"Great One?" Frostbite questioned in surprise.

" _It's the ghost boy!"_

 _"Traitor!"_

 _"He's doomed us all!"_

Danny looked around in surprise at the ghosts that were raging below him. Even some of the yetis were growling at him! Danny exclaimed in surprise when a spear came flying towards his head. Ducking quickly, Danny sputtered in shock. "W-what are they talking about?" Danny asked.

"Great One, you should not be here," Frostbite said in a serious tone of voice.

Danny watched Frostbite, finally noticing his reserved posture. "Why not? What's going on?"

" _Be-ware!"_ the Box Ghost shouted as he suddenly took to the air. He pointed an accusing finger at Danny and shouted down at all the ghosts. "Beware the horror that is coming for us all!"

"What are you-" Danny started but was cut off by more loud outrage from the crowd.

Frostbite was quick to shut this down, however. " _Silence!"_ he half shouted/half roared. Once he had the masses under control, Frostbite faced Danny. "You have always fought valiantly to protect your world and this one, Great One."

" _But now he's doomed us all!"_

"How have I doomed you?" Danny asked, his ire stoked.

"You've allowed the biggest _bully_ in the world to attack one of us!" Sydney Poindexter pointed out angrily from Dora's back. "A _witch!"_

"Do they mean Kagome?" Tucker asked.

" _He doesn't deny allying himself with a witch_!"

"Look, it was self-defense. Skulker attacked her first," Danny defended angrily. "Besides, what do you all care?"

"We care, Great One, because of the threat that is now being posed to _all_ of us," Frostbite answered.

" _Which is why we all need to hide!_ "

"You will _not_ hide here! This is not your domain!" Frostbite roared back at the crowd of frightened ghosts.

"Just _listen_ to me!" Danny shouted at them all. "She's _not_ evil! She's a friend just like a lot of you. They helped save Skulker's life. They wouldn't have done that if they were evil."

" _It's a trick!"_

"It's not a trick! I wouldn't be here right now if she really was some kind of evil, ghost hunter," Danny argued. This was getting ridiculous now. Kagome wasn't evil. Danny knew that firsthand, but none of these ghosts even knew her!

"Great One, while I respect and admire your bravery and willingness to fight for others, I believe that you are greatly misinformed as to the dangers that witches pose," Frostbite states.

Danny furrowed his brows as he gazed down at Frostbite in confusion. "I know their magic hurts ghosts. But they can help ghosts too."

"No, Great One. This goes much deeper than simply hurting ghosts with their spells and potions," Frostbite said and shook his head. "Witches have opposed ghosts since the beginning. Even the oldest ghosts cannot remember a time when witches were not a threat."

"It is true, Sir Phantom," Dora agreed with a deep frown, now back in her human form. "Witches use their magic to hunt ghosts before killing them in the most brutal of ways."

"They're nothing but _bullies_. They do these horrible things just because they can," Poindexter inputted with a deep frown.

"Most likely this witch has lied to you to gain your trust. It would not be the first time they have used such underhanded tactics," Frostbite said. "If there is only one truth in this world, it is that _no_ ghost can trust a witch. Not even a half-ghost like you."

Danny frowned deeply before looking back at Sam and Tucker. They both stared back at him with small frowns of their own. Glancing down at all the frightened, angry, and worried expressions around him, Danny couldn't help but feel a small seed of doubt taking root. He trusted Kagome one hundred percent. But, maybe there was more to this than he'd first thought.

~:~

Kimiko hummed softly to herself as she dried a plate with a towel. Dinner had been a quiet affair tonight since neither Vlad nor Danny had been present. She had missed Vlad's presence, but he'd been busy with work. Oh well. He'd probably be around tomorrow night. The man spent more time in her home than he did in his own. It was a miracle that their relationship hadn't gotten out to the public yet. Kimiko placed the now dry dish into the cabinet above her before reaching for the next one.

"I'm not sure how I feel about you leaving your home so open too intruders."

Kimiko suddenly jumped as the plate slipped out of her grip and down onto the floor. The plate shattered into pieces just as Kimiko grabbed a large knife from the wooden holder on the counter. Turning quickly, Kimiko faced the intruder with her weapon drawn. It was a middle-aged woman with greying hair styled in waves down to her shoulders. She smiled softly, her grey eyes twinkling mischievously. She was barely above five feet tall and wearing a stylish sweater with black slacks and matching flats. Kimiko blinked in surprise. "Na-Nakoda-san, what are you doing here?" Kimiko stuttered from pure shock.

"Isn't it obvious? I've come to visit my favorite daughter-in-law and my wonderful grandchildren!" Nakoda exclaimed brightly with a smile. She quickly went over to Kimiko to embrace her tightly with a happy laugh. "Oh! And don't bother with formalities, Kimiko. They can be _such_ an inconvenience," Nakoda said before waving her hand over the shattered plate on the floor. The shattered plate quickly reformed just before Nakoda picked it up and offered it back to Kimiko with a smile. "Honestly though, Kimiko. You live in a town haunted by ghosts. You should have more defenses up around your home. Don't worry. I'll help you put some up," Nakoda said before using her magic to quickly finish off the rest of the dishes.

Frozen stiff, Kimiko couldn't speak a word. She hadn't seen Nakoda in years. The last time the two women had been in the same room was about four years ago at Kagome's thirteenth birthday party. Nakoda had randomly popped in to give Kagome an extravagant gift and spend several days doing everything possible to bond with the kids. After three days, she'd suddenly left without any explanation. Nakoda was always on the move. She rarely remained in one place for too long. Kimiko had always guessed that that was where Judai inherited his ability to runout on others. Finally, Kimiko stuttered, "D-daughter-in-law?"

Nakoda laughed lightly. "I'm just teasing, Kimiko. I know that you and Judai never married. Honestly, you probably never will, but I still think of you as a daughter," Nakoda said before looking around the kitchen curiously.

"Where are my lovely grandchildren? I brought gifts!" Nakoda says before flashing her small pocketbook and quickly scurrying from the room.

From where she was still stunned in the kitchen, Kimiko heard Nakoda's voice cry out, " _Kagome! Judai! Guess who's come to visit!?"_ and her children's happy cries of " _Grandma!"._ Nakoda had come to visit... No matter how many times Kimiko thought about it, it didn't decrease the amount of worry that had settled into her gut. This wouldn't end well...


	7. Two Sides To Every Story

Kimiko poured out two cups of jasmine tea before taking a seat on the couch next to Nakoda. The smaller and older woman picked up her tea cup with a small smile before blowing lightly over the top of the cup. The two women were sitting alone in the living room around seven in the morning. Nakoda hummed in appreciation when she took the first sip of her tea. "This is delicious, Kimiko. I wonder if it tastes better because you didn't use magic to make it?" Nakoda teased lightly.

"Well, I prefer not to rely on magic to do simple tasks. It's better to do things the old fashioned way," Kimiko answered.

Nakoda scoffed. "I think you're slowly becoming a stick in the mud, Kimiko. You need to live a little."

Kimiko pouted slightly at that. It bothered her more than she cared to admit that a sixty-six year old woman was criticizing the lack of excitement in her life. "I like to feel normal. Like a normal human," Kimiko explained.

"Oh. But Kimiko, you're not a normal human. You're a witch. There's no such thing as living the normal human life when you have magic. Besides, why would you ever want to?" Nakoda replied and sipped her tea.

Deciding to cut right to the chase, Kimiko asked, "Nakoda, please don't be offended by me asking, but... why are you here?"

Nakoda smiled brightly and set her cup down onto the coffee table. "I'm not offended at all! It only makes sense that you would be curious," Nakoda said and waved her off. "Judai came to see me not too long ago. He told me that you'd moved here with the kids."

"Is that all he told you?"

"He also told me that you've moved on with an older man. Personally, I didn't peg you for the type to be interested in older men, but I suppose it makes sense. It's only natural to want a more mature partner after dealing with Judai's immaturity and irresponsibility for so long," Nakoda said with a sigh and roll of her eyes. "That boy, he's more like me than I care for him to be. It's a _real_ shame."

Kimiko didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, she brought her tea cup up to her lips and took a long sip.

"He also told me that Kagome is starting to develop control over her magic. I wondered why you would continue to live in a literal ghost town when this was going on, but then I saw the necklace Kagome had on last night. Tell me. She was having more than just your run of the mill struggles with control. Wasn't she?" Nakoda guessed with a grin.

"Ghosts are already targeting her and he's stronger than I ever was at her age. I'm...slightly concerned for her future," Kimiko confessed softly. A powerful witch was instantly a target for powerful ghosts as well a potential recruit for other witches. Kimiko wasn't sure what she feared more- ghosts constantly challenging Kagome or another witch seeking her out, brainwashing her, and turning her into a ruthless hunter.

"Don't you worry. Once you raise your children right, they'll find their own way. You've been an excellent mother. Better than I ever was to Judai," Nakoda finished sadly.

Immediately, Kimiko wrapped Nakoda in a tight embrace. Nakoda's flighty behavior had been a staple of her personality forever. At twenty-four, she'd walked out on her husband and five-year-old son and never looked back. It wasn't until Judai had become an adult that Nakoda had made an effort to be a part of his life again. "I have to go in early to work today. We're getting some new inventory that needs to be displayed. Can I leave you and the kids alone?" Kimiko teased half seriously. Nakoda was a sweet woman, but she was also a bit irresponsible. Leaving Nakoda alone with her fourteen-year-old grandson was like leaving 100 lit candles in a house with a gas leak.

"Of course! We'll have a great time. Leave it to me," Nakoda said with a bright grin. Kimiko grimaced. Oh boy...

~:~

Danny laid on his bed as he stared up at the ceiling with a deep frown on his face. He'd been called a traitor by more ghosts than he cared to count. Ghosts that had once looked at him with gratitude and admiration were now scowling at him in displeasure. Even the normally accommodating Frostbite had asked him to leave because of the unease that Danny's presence was causing. Danny had tried to explain the situation to them, but they wouldn't hear of it.

" _Soon, they'll show their true colors. And when they do, no ghost will want to help you fight them."_

" _No ghost can trust a witch. Not even a half-ghost like you."_

But what did they know? From the way that they sounded, a lot more than he did. Their recent behavior couldn't be some kind of prank either. For so many ghosts to just pack up and flee without a second thought, this _had_ to be serious. The only other time something similar to this had happened was when Pariah Dark had gotten out. Were witches really as bad as Pariah Dark?

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom slammed open. Danny sat up quickly with a raised brow as he watched Sam and Tucker lug two stacks of books into his room. "Uh...guys? What is all this?" Danny asked and stared at the books.

"I went to my favorite book store and started looking for anything that we could use as a reference," Sam explained. "All these books have information on witches and ghosts that we can read to figure out what we're really dealing with."

Danny glanced at the book at the top of Sam's stack. "Witch Trials Throughout the Ages?" Danny read the title. "Sam, you do realize that there's a family of witches right across the street who could answer our questions. Right?"

"I also realize that those same witches have been pretty vague about this ghost-witch war. It wouldn't hurt to do a bit of research first," Sam argued and picked up the book.

" _Research_? On summer _vacation_? Why does this _already_ sound like a bad idea?" Tucker said, but picked up a book nonetheless.

Danny watched his friends take their books to different spots in his room before flipping them open. Sam was serious about this. She'd bought almost twenty books for them to read! While Danny would have preferred to get the abridged version from Kimiko, he did pick up a book, take a seat on his bed and begin reading.

Three hours later, Danny sighed deeply as he closed another book. So far, the three books that he'd skimmed through had only reaffirmed what he already knew. "Please tell me that you guys are having better luck at this than I am," Danny groaned and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Did you know that witches don't hunt ghosts in the Ghost Zone? Apparently, when witches first started hunting ghosts, they used their magic to create the Ghost Zone for ghosts to live in so that they couldn't haunt people," Sam said.

"But that's a good thing, right? The witches were trying to help," Tucker inferred.

"Actually, it was used as a place to trap the ghosts that they had captured. But once ghosts started getting out through natural portals, witches started using harsher methods," Sam corrected. "Listen to this. One of the first accounts of witch brutality dates back to twelfth century Russia where a coven of witches captured several ghosts before subduing them, disabling their ghostly abilities and trapping the ghosts in a brew of blood blossoms," Sam read. All three shared worried looks.

"Does it say why they did it?" Danny tentatively asked. Did he even _want_ to know?

When Sam shook her head in the negative, Tucker decided to speak up. "I think this would help. It's an autobiography from a witch talking about what it was like for him growing up," Tucker said and held up the book he was reading. The book described itself as an autobiography, but the critics reviewed it as fiction. "He says that normally, when a witch is first learning to use their powers, they're taught by older witches. But they aren't just taught how to use their magic. They're taught how to hunt ghosts, too. Like some kind of weird, ghost hunting boot camp."

" _All_ of them?" Danny asked with a troubled expression.

Tucker flipped through the pages before holding up the book to read from it. "I'd never known that to be a witch was a lifetime commitment to fighting for justice for the natural world. When I started my training, I was surprised at how many of the kids I grew up with were being trained just like me. I'll never forget the first thing that we were taught. Ghosts are unnatural, evil and mischievous abominations."

"Woah. _Harsh,"_ Sam commented with a frown.

"But not all witches think like that. If I could just show that to those ghosts, they'd have to believe me. If I could just get them to talk to Kagome-" Danny started.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Danny. It sounds like there's a lot of bad history. I don't think you'll be able to erase it so easily," Sam reasoned rationally.

"If I can get one ghost to change their mind, it wouldn't be a complete waste. I'm calling Kagome," Danny said and pulled his cell out of his pocket. Sam sighed loudly and shook her head. She didn't want to sound pessimistic. Honestly, Sam considered herself a realist (which was _completely_ different). But right now, her realism wouldn't be able to get through Danny's stubborn optimism.

~:~

Nakoda approached Kagome's bedroom door with her gift in hand. She'd been looking forward to this moment for some time. As soon as Judai had told her about Kagome's lack of control and quickly growing powers, Nakoda had seen this as another opportunity to bond with her only granddaughter. Hopefully, Kagome would like this gift. Suppressing an eager grin, Nakoda stopped in from top the door and raised her small fist to knock. However, she stopped when she heard Kaome's voice inside the room.

" _You want me to what?... I agree with Sam. I don't think that's such a good idea, Danny..."_

Who was she talking to? Was it a _boy?_ Nakoda smirked. Looks like she found something else to bond over. But, that would have to be for a later date. Raising her fist one again, Nakoda quickly rapped twice on the door. " _I'll call you later, Danny,"_ Nakoda heard Kagome say just before the bedroom door opened.

"Grandma! What's up?" Kagome asked brightly.

"Well, I already gave your brother his gift so I felt it was time to give you yours," Nakoda said. Judai had been easy to appease. The boy had been more excite than a child on Christmas day when he'd unwrapped an enchanted, flying skateboard. He'd immediately rushed out of the house to try it out. Nakoda wasn't _completely_ irresponsible though. She'd give him a new helmet and some new safety pads.

"Grandma, you don't have to give me anything," Kagome waved her off.

"Of course I do, sweetheart," Nakoda said and grabbed Kagome by the hand. She pulled Kagome back into the bedroom before making her take a seat on the bed. With a proud smile, Nakoda presented the wrapped, rectangle she had in her hands. "Ta-da!"

Kagome giggled softly before accepting the slim package and proceeding to tear open the wrapping paper. When she spotted a book with a brown leather cover, Kagome frowned. Once she had all the colorful, pink paper off, Kagome inspected her present. A thick, brown book with a light brown star on the front cover and two, leather straps to keep it closed. "A book?"

"Not just any book- a grimoire," Nakoda said before taking a seat at Kagome's side. "I know that your mother has already given you several of them, but this one is special to me. It belonged to a dear friend of mine. She gave it to me before she died. And now, I'm giving it to you."

"Grandma, I can't accept this. It sounds like it's very important to you," Kagome declared and tried to give the book back.

Nakoda shook her head and pushed the book back towards Kagome. "I want you to have it. You'll need it as a reference for your upcoming lessons," Nakoda said with a smile.

"Lessons?"

"Of course! You didn't think I was just going to dump all this knowledge on you without giving you some guidance, did you?" Nakoda said with a playful scoff. "Kagome, I know that your mother has been teaching you a few things, but I want to teach you a few things of my own. There's more to being a witch than saying a few magic words or making something levitate. I can show you so many things. I can even help you get your magic under control so that you don't need to depend on that gem around your neck."

Kagome's hand rested on the sapphire as her eyes widened in surprise. "Can you really do that?"

"Of course! I'm sixty-six years young. I've learned a few things over the course of my life," Nakoda said with a laugh. "Why don't you open up that book so we can get started?"

Kagome quickly unbuckled the straps, flipped over the brown leather cover of the book and glanced down at the first spell. Immediately, she was struck by how advanced the spell look. It was a barrier spell against physical attacks. Kagome noticed several, handwritten notes scribbled onto the sides of the page. ' _Works against ghostly possession.'_ With pursed lips, Kagome flipped through the book, her eyes glancing at the spells and the notes in the margins. _'Energy consuming. Best used with more than one witch... Excellent for disabling ghostly abilities... Use when expelling a ghost from a possessed human body...'_ As she moved further along in the book, Kagome couldn't keep the small frown off her face. These spells seemed to have a variety of effects on ghosts. But, it was the last page in the book that made Kagome freeze. "Grandma, this spell..." she started.

"Hmm? Oh! Don't worry about that, Kagome. That's not what I wanted to show you," Nakoda said and flipped the page back to a different spell. "I know how your mother feels about ghosts. I'm sure that you know that her ideals aren't very popular amongst most witches. But, I would never force you to take up something that you were uncomfortable with, sweetheart."

Kagome could tell that her grandmother's smile was meant to be reassuring, but she couldn't help but feel a bit defensive at what she'd seen. That last page had a curse that she'd never heard of before and although she wasn't completely sure how it worked, the note on the side had been very clear. ' _For ghosts only. Use on sight. Deadly.'_

 _"_ Grandma, I'm not sure I can take this from you," Kagome said as she tried once again to hand the grimoire back.

"I understand your concern, Kagome. But you should understand mine as well. I'm not asking you to harm a ghost or to learn that spell. I'm just asking that you spend some time becoming better prepared at defending yourself," Nakoda explained.

"I don't understand."

"Your mother told me about your recent run-ins with those ghosts. It's important that you be able to defend yourself and others at all costs," Nakoda started. "Ghosts can be ruthless and extremely dangerous, especially to an untrained witch."

"But what if they aren't all like that? What if one was good?" Kagome argued.

Nakoda frowned slightly. "Are you referring to this town's superhero, Danny Phantom? Now, I understand that he's not your run of the mill ghost, but he _is_ still a ghost. Which means that he possesses all the weaknesses of a ghost. All ghosts have something that drives them- an obsession that defines them. When their obsession is threatened, they become dangerous," Nakoda declared. Before Kagome could argue further, Nakoda spoke up again, "Has Kimiko taught you how to sense a ghost's presence before?"

"...Not yet," Kagome admitted sheepishly.

"Well, that just won't do! Stand up, sweetheart. We're going to fix that right now," Nakoda said and stood up from the bed. She waited for Kagome to stand before looking up at her with a small smile. "As a witch, you literally have a sixth sense that connects you to all living things and provides you with access to supernatural powers of the universe. And having magic means that you are obligated to uphold the natural balance."

"Natural balance? How do ghosts fit into that?" Kagome asked.

"Excellent question. All living things are filled with energy. It's this life force that allows you to connect to nature in some pretty awesome ways. But, ghosts are different. They aren't alive nor are they truly dead. The energy that animates a ghost is... well... unnatural. It makes a mockery of the life force in living creatures. You can sense both types of energy easily- the natural life energy and the energy in a ghost," Nakoda lectures. "A ghost's energy feels different from a living being's in that... well... I'm not sure how to describe it other than it just feels _wrong._ It feels unnatural in every way. Personally, it gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Kagome frowned pensively. Unnatural? Danny and Vlad didn't feel unnatural to her. Sometimes, they gave her goosebumps whenever they used their ghostly abilities around her. But it usually had to be a serious amount of power they were exerting. Suddenly, Kagome furrowed her brows as she stared down at her grandmother. "Grandma, do you hunt ghosts?"

"Me? I'm sixty-six, Kagome. Do I look like a woman moonlighting as a ghost hunter?" Nakoda laughed. Kagome rubbed her arm awkwardly. It _was_ a bit silly. "I won't lie. When I was your age, my mother made sure that I learned all the techniques and gained the skills that a witch would need for a life as a ghost hunter. But, I never took it seriously. Like your mother, I had my first child at a young age. I used your father as an excuse to avoid ghost hunting. Not a day goes by that I don't regret that decision. Maybe if I had taken it seriously, I could have changed things for the better."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I never saw ghosts as a threat. They had been harmless in my opinion. But I was wrong. My ex-husband, best friend, and mother were all killed by ghosts," Nakoda admitted sadly and hung her head.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Grandma. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories," Kagome said and immediately embraced the elderly woman.

"It's alright, sweetheart. You didn't know. Honestly, it's all part of the job," Nakoda said with a deep sigh. "It's just a shame that no matter how peacefully a witch lives, we're all lumped together. To a ghost, it doesn't matter if you would show them mercy or not. If they spot a weakness, they'll exploit it. It's just the kind of creatures they are."


	8. Witch-Ghost Relations

Danny sighed softly as he stared down at his cell phone that he held in his hands. He hadn't gotten a single call or text from Kagome in days. Despite living right across the street from each other, he hadn't seen her in person since she'd kissed him on the cheek in her room. Was she avoiding him? She couldn't have been. They'd talked on the phone the next day. He'd already left her two voicemails and a few texts. He couldn't call her again. He didn't want to seem like a creepy stalker or something. But still... It was pretty strange for Kagome to just fall off the face of the planet like that. Something _had_ to be up with her. Finally coming to a decision, Danny got off his bed before leaving his room.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Danny walked across the street towards Kagome's house. He firmly knocked three times on the front door before slipping his hands into his front pockets. While he wanted answers to the ten million questions on his mind, Danny felt a nagging concern for Kagome's well-being. What if another ghost had attacked her, but she hadn't called him again? Suddenly feeling another bout of urgency, Danny raised his hand to knock again. He didn't get the chance though.

"Hello?" Kagome asked as she pulled the front door open. Danny nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She was alright. While he shot her a smile, Kagome looked sort of... nervous. She glanced behind her once before turning back to him with her lower lip between her teeth. "Danny, now's not a very good time."

"What's wrong? I hadn't heard from you in a while so I thought that-" Danny started to explain, but Kagome cut him off.

"I'm fine. I promise. It's just that my grandmother is visiting for a little while and I don't think you should be around here right now," Kagome said in a soft voice.

Did she sound scared? Had her grandmother done something to her? "Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem-" Danny started with a frown on his face.

"Danny, I _promise_ I'm fine, but my grandmother isn't-" Kagome cut him off again.

" _Kagome!"_

Danny watched Kagome's eyes widen almost comically just before she slammed the door shut in his face. Danny blinked twice in shock. What just happened? Frowning deeply, Danny was about to let himself in with the help of his ghost powers, but the sight of the door opening again stopped him. " _Honestly,_ Kagome. You mustn't be so rude to guests," Danny heard a new voice say. The one who had opened the door was a short, elderly woman with medium-length, greying hair and a soft smile. "Hello there, young man. I'm going to take a guess and say that you're Danny."

"Uh... Yes. That's me," Danny replied. Kagome had been acting so strangely. She couldn't really have been worried about _this_ old woman! She looked so small and sweet.

"Wonderful! Come in, come in!" the woman said before practically yanking Danny into the house by the front of his tee. For a small thing, she was pretty strong. "I've only heard a little bit about you, Danny. But from what I've gathered, you must be pretty close to my granddaughter."

"I...uh... We're just good friends, ma'am," Danny replied. How do you respond to that!?

"You're so polite, but you can call me Nakoda. I don't have much place for formalities in my life," Nakoda said with a laugh. Danny could only nod dumbly. Kagome was standing next to her grandmother looking completely terrified and embarrassed. It seemed that only Nakoda was excited about this exchange.

"Grandma, Danny can't really stay. He's meeting with some friends. He just dropped by to ask me if I wanted to go, but I can't," Kagome said and attempted to direct Nakoda away from him. What? Danny raised a brow at Kagome. She _really_ must not want him around if she's making up lies like this.

"Nonsense! I _insist_ that you stay a little longer, Danny. I want to get to know you better," Nakoda said with a smile. "You kids take a seat. I'll go get some tea from the kitchen," Nakoda said and shuffled out of the room.

As soon as they were alone, Kagome turned to Danny with an urgent expression. "Danny, you _have_ to leave. Fake a stomach ache or act like your mom just called you, but you need to leave," Kagome said.

"Why? Did I do something?" Danny asked with a confused expression.

"Danny, I know I haven't called you lately and I should have. But only to tell you not to come over. It's dangerous. You can't be around my grandmother. Mom doesn't even let Vlad come around anymore," Kagome said.

"Why? What's wrong with your grandmother?" Danny asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm not sure. She says that she doesn't hunt ghosts, but I'm not too sure. She's been teaching me these spells..." Kagome trailed off with a troubled expression.

Danny's eyes widened in dread. It couldn't be. Kagome wasn't learning how to hunt ghosts. Was she? Before Danny could say anything else, they heard the sound of China clattering and soft humming. Both teens turned to see Nakoda strolling into the living room with a smile on her face. " _Don't drink anything she gives you,"_ Danny heard Kagome whisper to him before taking a seat on the couch.

"I hope you like jasmine tea, Danny," Nakoda said with a smile as she poured three cups of tea.

"I... I don't think I've ever tried it before," Danny replied.

Nakoda sighed softly in bliss as she took a sip from her teacup. From over the rim of her cup, she observed the two teens sitting on the couch across from her. With a soft smile, she placed her teacup down onto the coffee table. "Well, I am very interested in learning more about you, Danny. What are your hobbies?" Nakoda asked.

"Uh. I like playing video games?" Danny replied as a question. ' _And fight ghosts,'_ he kept to himself. He carefully held his still-full teacup in his hands. He was sitting stiffly next to Kagome, but he could see her sipping from her teacup with a relaxed posture.

"Oh, Danny. _Relax._ You seem so nervous. This isn't an interrogation. I'm just curious to find out who is this handsome young man that my granddaughter has taken an interest in," Nakoda soothed. Danny jumped when Kagome started to choke next to him. Quickly putting down his cup of tea to free his hands, Danny began to softly pat her back.

"T-thank you. But we're really just friends," Danny denied.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame. You seem like such a nice young man," Nakoda said with a pout. "Much better than that blonde boy who came knocking the other day..."

Who? Dash? Danny tried to stifle the smug amusement he felt at being declared "better" than Dash. When he spotted Kagome's unamused look, Danny quickly sobered up. He must not have been doing a very good job of hiding his glee. He shot Kagome a sheepish grin.

"Danny, you haven't even touched your tea."

The two froze. Danny glanced down at the still-steaming cup before looking at Nakoda. She was smiling softly and gesturing to the cup. Danny swallowed at the sight of the dark amber liquid. "Oh! Danny's not much of a tea drinker, grandma. He prefers soda. I'll get him one," Kagome said and quickly snatched up the cup. Danny watched her take the cup to the kitchen before looking at Nakoda nervously. However, the elder was watching her granddaughter with a curious gaze.

"What's gotten into _her?_ I hope I haven't embarrassed her," Nakoda remarked.

"I don't think so," Danny replied. When he glanced back at the kitchen, Danny spotted Kagome urgently pointing at the front door. The message was more than clear: it was time to leave. "It was really nice meeting you, Nakoda. But I should really get going. I don't want to be late," Danny said while standing. His hopes were dashed when Nakoda stood up as well.

"Oh. I understand. It's very admirable that you take your commitments so seriously," Nakoda said while making the short walk to the door. Danny pulled the door open and was about to dash out when Nakoda spoke again. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Danny," Nakoda said while offering her hand. "We don't really shake hands in Japan, but I haven't been home in years," Nakoda whispered conspiringly before giggling.

Danny chuckled a bit while staring down at her. "It was...nice meeting you too," Danny said while taking her hand in his. Her hand was so much smaller than his. Where his was firm, hers was soft and a tad bony. Idly, Danny noticed the bright red polish on her fingernails. Just as he was pulling away his hand, Danny felt an all-consuming pain shoot up his arm and radiate throughout his body. A small gasp escaped him as he stumbled backward slightly. He glanced down at where their hands were joined. He was on fire! It was as though he'd suddenly decided to stand in a lit fireplace. He wanted to pull his hand away, but he couldn't move. Jaw stubbornly clenched, Danny let his eyes land on Nakoda's. Her brown eyes were narrowed at him in suspicion and accusation. The paralyzed feeling was creeping up his right arm now.

"Grandma! Mom forgot to take her lunch with her this morning. I'm going to take it to her," Kagome said as she suddenly appeared with a lunchbox in hand. "You're still here, Danny? I'll walk you out. Don't worry, grandma. I'll be back soon," Kagome said quickly while roughly pulling Danny out of the house and slamming the door shut. Ditching the empty lunchbox over the side of the steps, Kagome wrapped an arm around Danny's waist. "Danny?" she asked in concern.

"Can't...move," he managed to whisper in a strained voice.

"I'll help you home," Kagome said while reaching into his pocket for his house key. Once she had the bronze key in hand, Kagome quickly hobbled across the street with Danny's lifeless body pulled to her side. It took thirty seconds flat to get Danny into his home and lock the front door behind them. It took much longer to get Danny up the stairs and into his room, however. But once she'd made it, Kagome helped him lie down on his twin bed. "What did she do to you?"

"Don't know. She held my hand... and it _hurt_. It felt a hundred times worse than when you did it accidentally," Danny replied.

"Does it still hurt?" Kagome asked as she examined his hand. She couldn't see anything physically wrong with him.

"It's not as bad. What did she do?"

"I think it was just a minor pain-infliction spell. It doesn't look like a curse. The pain should fade in a few minutes," Kagome said. "You didn't transform though. I wonder why."

"It felt like she was burning me alive and ripping me in two at the same time," Danny said.

"I'm so sorry, Danny. I should have tried to stop her sooner," Kagome apologized.

"S'not your fault. But I don't think I'll be going back to your house for a while," Danny said with a strained smile. With a shake of her head and a small smile, Kagome brushed some stray strands of hair out of Danny's face.

~:~

Kimiko frowned down at the message on her cellphone. Kagome had texted her not too long ago with very urgent news.

 **Kagome: Grandma used magic on Danny and now he's not feeling too good. I borrowed some of your Indian pipe.**

Kimiko tucked away her phone with a sigh. Honestly, she should have seen this coming. Nakoda wasn't actively hunting ghosts, but that didn't mean that she could be considered "ghost-friendly". Idly, Kimiko wondered just _what_ must have been going through Nakoda's mind when she met Danny. She probably would have sensed his ghost powers within minutes, but been confused by the life energy he still had. Danny and Vlad both had unique energies that felt alive and dead at the same time. It would give any witch a headache to try to understand.

Pulling up behind her home, Kimiko got out of the car and quickly entered the house through the back door. When she looked around the kitchen, she saw Nakoda sitting at the table with a pensive frown on her face. Kimiko approached her slowly. "Nakoda?"

"Kimiko, maybe you can explain it to me," Nakoda started.

"Explain what?"

"I've noticed something _strange_ about that boy Kagome associates with. The one with the black hair and pretty, blue eyes," Nakoda started. "It's the darnedest thing, too. He _feels_ like a ghost, but I can tell that he's alive."

Kimiko pulled out a chair before taking a seat at the table. With an unreadable expression, she continued to give Nakoda her undivided attention.

"At first, I figured that he must be possessed by some troublemaking ghost. So, I attempted to expel the ghost from his body. But... It didn't work. A spell that I know to work and have seen work _didn't work,"_ Nakoda stressed in a level tone. "I didn't know what to make of it at first. While I was stunned speechless, Kagome practically dragged the boy out of the house! She said that she was going to bring you your lunch, but I watched her walk that boy across the street and go into a house with him. Now, why would my granddaughter think that it was necessary to _lie_ to me like that?"

Kimiko stared evenly at Nakoda. The older woman returned the stare with a delicate brow raised. Kimiko pursed her lips before saying, "Something tells me that you've already developed your own theories."

"Kimiko, I care for you like a daughter and I love all my grandchildren dearly," Nakoda started.

" _But..."_ Kimiko hinted.

"I do not think that you are raising them correctly," Nakoda said with her shoulders squared.

Immediately, Kimiko felt her hackles rise. She could take insults to her character or sense of style. Heck, she'd been taking them from her own mother for _years_. But she _would_ _never_ and _could never_ tolerate criticism on her parenting skills. "I think that they are being raised the best that they can be considering that I am raising them alone. I appreciate your concern for them and I am grateful for all the care that you gave me while I was still a child, but I will not allow you to criticize my parenting decisions."

Nakoda smiled in a somewhat patronizing way like an adult would smile at a naive child. With a shake of her head, Nakoda said, "I know about that man that you are seeing now. I don't care that you are dating again. It's not my business. It _is_ my concern, however, when you bring ghosts around my grandchildren."

"I'll have you know that-" Kimiko started angrily, but was quickly cut off.

"I never pursued a life of actively hunting ghosts, but I know as well as you do that ghosts are _not_ to be trusted. Much less associated with so frequently!" Nakoda declared in a stern voice. "They are vile creatures and not only have you allowed one into your bed, but you've allowed another to get close to your daughter!"

Kimiko immediately shot up from her seat, the chair falling to the floor with a loud clatter. "That is _too_ far, Nakoda!" Kimiko shouted with anger written all over her face. She'd never raised her voice at Nakoda before (first time for everything). Nakoda had always been kind and caring, but the woman now sitting before Kimiko was practically unrecognizable.

"Fine!" Nakoda shouted and stood. Slightly red in the face with an intense fire burning in her eyes, Nakoda pointed a bony finger at Kimiko and warned, "You're corrupting yourself by allowing that abomination to get close to you. Mark my words. You're letting the same thing happen to Kagome." Quickly turning on her heel, Nakoda walked out of the room and out of the house completely in a huff.

With a long, exhausted sigh, Kimiko moved to pick up the chair she had knocked over. Bonelessly, she plopped back down onto the seat and held her face in her hands. Nakoda had always been like a mother to her. But had she always been so close-minded and harsh? Her words kept replaying in Kimiko's head like a broken record player. "Corrupting myself..." Kimiko said with a roll of her eyes.

But this exchange did bring something to the forefront of Kimiko's mind. No matter what, she was a witch and Vlad was half-ghost. Nakoda wouldn't be the last person to disapprove of their relationship. She was just one of the only people who wouldn't try to kill Vlad on sight. Was it right to put themselves through more of this in the future?

~:~

Witches were residing in Amity Park.

Why did it take him so long to hear this news? Perhaps it was due to him spending his days holed up in Pariah's Keep? Most likely. No ghost with their sanity intact would dare to venture into Pariah Dark's domain (despite the Ghost King being inactive). Apparently, the mere _mention_ of a witch's presence is enough to cause lesser ghosts to lose their sanity. Go figure.

" _Please!_ Have a little mercy! I'll do anything if you let me stay here!" the green, blob-like ghost shouted with its shapeless hands clasped together.

"Witches are now residing in that town? Surely, the ghost child would not allow this?" Fright Knight pondered aloud.

"The ghost child is a traitor! He has allied himself with the witches. He even defended them. They must be giving him some sort of power..." the ghost mused with a sneer. "Please. I just need someplace to hide..."

Fright Knight raised a brow as he glowered down at the ghost. "This is King Pariah's domain. _Not_ a hole for a cockroach to scurry into and hide. Be gone!" Fright Knight shouted and brandished his sword.

With a shriek, the ghost quickly took to the air and flew off. The Fright Knight scoffed once before sheathing his sword and turning to reenter the castle. "The ghost child has chosen witches for his allies? That is preposterous. What witch would ally with a ghost?" Fright Knight mused. Surely, the witches have fooled the child. It wouldn't be too hard to do so. The ghost child was still a little wet behind the ears. But, if they hadn't... Then the ghost child would be even more powerful than the last time they had fought! And if this ghost child was allying with witches and betraying his own kind, it at least deserved some reconnaissance.

Many ghosts heralded the ghost boy as the defeater of Pariah Dark and the savior of the ghost zone. Fright Knight never bothered with such notions, however. Pariah Dark was still the king, even in eternal sleep. While Fright Knight could be persuaded to fight for another's cause, he was still a loyal knight. His king came first. And as such, he had to ensure that this child wasn't a threat to his king!


	9. The Witch Equivalent of a Leper

Kimiko took a deep breath before she knocked on Kagome's bedroom door. "Kagome? Can I talk to you, sweetheart?" Kimiko called out.

" _Sure thing, mama. Come on in!"_

With a soft sigh escaping her, Kimiko pushed the door open. What she found was _slightly_ concerning. "Um, Kagome? What are you doing with those boxes?"

"I'm packing away the books that grandma gave me," Kagome declared with a deep frown.

With a look of confusion, Kimiko glanced in the boxes to see a few stacks of grimoires. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Throw them away? Sell them to that occult bookstore in town? Who cares? I won't be using them," Kagome declared firmly and slammed a book down into the box.

"I understand that you feel upset towards your grandmother. But you have to understand that she was just doing what she felt was right. Despite her being completely misinformed," Kimiko soothed.

"And _wrong._ Don't forget _wrong,"_ Kagome supplied.

"I think that she would argue that it's a matter of perspective," Kimiko replied with a smirk. "Unfortunately, sweetheart, we can't choose our family."

"No kidding. My grandma tried to waste my best friend. Who knows what she would have done to Vlad!" Kagome exclaimed while standing to close a full, cardboard box. "Life is starting to get seriously complicated, Mama."

"Tell me about it. I don't think it's going to get any easier any time soon," Kimiko said and pecked Kagome on the temple. "Kagome, I'm going to head out for a little while. Can you get dinner started for me? I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Sure thing. Are you going to see _Vlad?"_ Kagome asked with a conspiratorial smirk.

Kimiko frowned in slight annoyance before shaking her head with a smile. "I'm _just_ going to talk to him."

" _Sure._ Have fun," Kagome responded with a wink. Her teasing was cut short by Kimiko suddenly using her magic to levitate a pillow from off the bed and smacking the pillow into Kagome's face. " _Hey_!"

"See you later, sweetie!"

~:~

While Vlad greatly enjoyed his position of power, the amount of paperwork that he had to tackle on a daily basis was quite the "drag" (as the young people called it). He almost missed the regular ghost attacks. At least then he was given small breaks on a semi-daily basis. Fortunately, a break was coming in the form of Kimiko Higurashi. _Finally_! Vlad quickly tucked away his paper work before moving to shut down his computer.

When the door opened slowly and Kimiko hesitantly stuck her head through, Vlad grinned brightly. "Come in, my dear," Vlad greeted and stood with his arms gestured wide. Kimiko stepped into the room silently before softly shutting the door behind her. "And what do I owe the pleasure?" Vlad asked.

"I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced like this, but there was something I really needed to tell you," Kimiko started.

"Perish the thought! You are always welcome, my dear," Vlad said as he ushered Kimiko towards one of the soft chairs in front of his desk. With both hands on her slim shoulders, Vlad pushed Kimiko down onto the seat before he moved over to his personal wine refrigerator. "Would you like a drink?"

"Before you break out the wine, I want to get some things off my chest," Kimiko disregarded. Vlad's hand stilled in the middle of opening the wine bottle. He raised a single brow in question. "Nakoda said a lot of things the last time we spoke, but one thing really resonated with me."

"I'm sure that it wasn't anything of consequence. Besides, I thought you said that she already left town," Vlad replied and returned to opening the bottle.

"She did leave. But what she said before she left made me think..." Kimiko said and stood. "I don't think that this relationship will last," she finished. Kimiko jumped slightly when she heard Vlad fumble with the bottle just before a glass fell to the floor.

"What? W-what are you saying?" Vlad asked as he approached her.

Kimiko took a deep breath as she stepped back to regain some distance. "Vlad, I have no problem with you being half-ghost. But it doesn't change the fact that other witches will feel very strongly about it. Please understand that I'd rather avoid having to put you in any sort of danger for being with me," Kimiko explained.

"That's ridiculous! Kimiko, I appreciate your concern, but I am a grown man. I think I am able to make this decision for myself. Not only that, I am not exactly defenseless. I've honed my ghostly abilities for twenty plus years," Vlad argued in a firm tone.

"All the experience in the world won't help you against a witch with just as much experience hunting ghosts," Kimiko rebutted with a chastising tone.

"Just what are you getting at, Kimiko?" Vlad challenged with a raised brow.

Kimiko squared her shoulders. Vlad posture was lean and tall. His shoulders were squared with his hands folded behind his back as he loomed over her. It was a rather intimidating pose. But Kimiko returned his slitted gaze with a glare of her own. "Nakoda is mild compared to other witches. I've seen what some witches do to ghosts and I'd never forgive myself if that happened to you. I'm trying to _protect_ you."

"Well, I appreciate the effort but that won't stop me from pursuing you," Vlad admitted in a final tone. "I've come to terms with the fact that I will never meet another woman quite like you. For the first time in a very long time, I feel content and at peace. I will not allow you to simply walk out of my life now. I suppose you and every other witch in this world will just have to accept that fact."

Kimiko felt her frown waver. She stared up at Vlad's dark blue eyes for a few more seconds before glancing down at her feet. "The way you said it made it sound like I was a child being lectured by their parent. You're lucky that I'm feeling moved by your words or I'd have a few words to say to you about your tone," Kimiko said and boneless flopped down onto her chair.

"Thank you. I find that speaking from the heart is the best way to get on your good side," Vlad replied with a smirk. "I am curious, however. When were you exposed to ghost hunting?"

Kimiko froze. Honestly, she'd thought about telling him this for a few months now. But, she'd never found the right time. Also, there was no easy way to broach the subject. "It was a long time ago. When I was still a girl, I lived with my mother. She wasn't the most... _nurturing_ woman. From what I can remember, she's always been completely devoted to hunting ghosts. She...taught me everything that she knew," Kimiko admitted with her hands clenched and her eyes trained on the floor.

"Kimiko-"

"Let me finish. You have to understand that all children were trained this way. It's a sick practice, like training children to be murderers. Back then, no one questioned their parents. You just learned and followed instructions until you were ready to one day give the instructions yourself.

"I had just turned sixteen when my training was complete and my mother thought that it was time to take me on my first hunt. I hadn't been the one to capture the ghost, but I was there when they were executing it. I'd always thought that we captured the ghosts and then sent them back to the Ghost Zone. But what I saw that day- what I saw my mother do- was _atrocious_. I couldn't do anything like _that!_ It was terrifying to see a creature in that much pain. Now that I think about it, I can't even remember what that ghost did to deserve to die like that.

"I told my mother how I felt. I'd thought that she would understand, but she looked so disappointed in me. She called me weak. It really put a strain on our relationship. After that, Nakoda became even more of a motherly figure in my life. Not only did she and I grow close, but Judai and I grew close as well. Eventually, I considered going back to my mother and fixing our relationship. But I was so in love with Judai at the time that I didn't think twice about running away with him instead. I turned my back on my mother for love and wound up pregnant and alone. Of course, my mother threw my mistakes in my face out of spite. She was extremely bitter and after that, I wanted nothing to do with her," Kimiko finished.

"Has she tried to contact you since?" Vlad asked with sympathy in his eyes.

"I haven't spoken to or seen my mother in twenty years. Now that I think about it, I haven't had any contact with any of my childhood friends. I wouldn't be surprised if my mother turned them all against me. I guess we don't need to worry about witches coming after you for being with me. I'm basically the witch equivalent of a leper," Kimiko tried to joke as tears gathered in her eyes.

Without wasting a second, Vlad pulled the small women into his embrace. "You shouldn't worry about any of them. No one needs _ingrates_ like them in their life. You've managed to make new, better friends without them," Vlad soothed while running a hand along the back of her head. "Besides, _I'll_ always be here," Vlad said with conviction as if he was reaffirming himself just as much as he was her.

~:~

As he flew over the suburbs once again, Danny couldn't help but glance down at his street. His house was entirely dark inside, only the bright, neon "Fenton Works" sign providing any sign of life. Most of the houses on his street were dark, their occupants having gone to bed hours ago. A part of Danny wished that he was like them, asleep at quarter to midnight. But he had a job to do- or rather, Danny _Phantom_ had a job to do.

" _Downtown's quiet,"_ Danny heard Sam's voice say from the Fenton Phone in his ear.

" _There aren't any ghosts at the park or the school either. I think it's safe to call it an early night... And I'm not just saying that cause we're probably the only people in town that are still awake and I seriously want to go to sleep or anything,"_ Tucker's voice said.

" _Real convincing, Tuck. What do you say, Danny?"_

Danny glanced across the street towards the Takahashi residence. He slowly came to a stop mid-air as he stared down at the only room with the lights still on. Through the window, he could see Kagome sitting on the window seat with a book in her hands. If he flew just a bit closer, he could see that she was wearing some pajamas and her glasses were on her face. He floated in place for a few more seconds until she suddenly got up and walked further into her room.

" _Danny? Are you there?"_

"W-what? Yeah. I'm still here, Sam. Let's just call it a night. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Danny said before turning off the Fenton Phone. Sighing deeply, Danny was about to fly home when his phone started ringing. With a curious expression, he unclipped the phone from his belt and checked the Caller iD. With a surprised expression, he answered. "Kagome?"

" _Is there a reason why you've flown by my house four times and stopped to stare at me each time?"_ Danny heard her ask. He could hear the playfulness in her tone, but that didn't stop his cheeks and ears from flaming. Turning stiffly, Danny spotted Kagome staring up at him from her window. With a small smile in place, she sent him a wave.

"Oh! Uh...Sam, Tucker, and I were just out on patrol. But we're finished now so I'm gonna head home," Danny answered and prayed that he didn't sound as nervously embarrassed to her as he thought he sounded.

" _If you say so, Danny."_

Danny watched Kagome move away from the window seconds before the lights in her room went out. "G'night, Kagome."

" _Good night, Danny._ "

Closing his phone, Danny clipped it back in place on his belt before turning to fly into his room. He was _such_ a _dork._ At this point in time, Danny was far beyond chastising himself for his blatant signs of affection. A part of him felt that Kagome must have an idea as to how he felt about her, but he didn't like to entertain those thoughts. If she knew how he felt and still insisted that they be friends, then that was almost as bad as being officially rejected. At least this way she hadn't turned him down (yet).

After touching down in his room, Danny immediately noticed the smell. It was a sweet, smokey smell like someone had burned a perfectly good birthday cake. Surprisingly, it wasn't a bad smell. But where was it coming from? While turning this way and that to try to find this burning birthday cake, Danny felt a rush of vertigo. Losing his balance, Danny fell to his knees before slowly slumping onto his bedroom floor. Was the floor moving? It sure felt like it. Laying on the floor like this was getting uncomfortable, but his body was too heavy to move. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but he couldn't tell if it was working or not. Glancing down at his hand, Danny's eyes widened. He was still in his suit!

Through lidded eyes, Danny could see a small bowl in the corner of the room with smoke rising off it. "The birthday cake," he mumbled just before some feet entered his vision. He could see the person pick up the bowl, but he couldn't recognize their gas mask-covered face. Whose legs were those? The feet were so small! An uncontrollable laughter suddenly bubbled out of his throat. Laughing must use up more energy than he originally thought. It wasn't long before his mind and body decided that this was the perfect time to take a nap.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Don't forget to leave a review! ;)


	10. Where's Danny?

His head was _pounding._ He could literally feel his slow pulse reverberating in his skull. Or was that just the massive headache he was sporting? It felt like his brain was floating in his skull and throbbing at the same time. Danny groaned lowly as his head lolled to the side. A wave of nausea suddenly hit him and caused him to dry heave.

"Oh. You're finally awake. Good. I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to speak to you before we started."

With dull, lidded eyes, Danny slowly turned his head to face who had spoken. His eyes narrowed as he tried to place the face. "You're... Kagome's grandmother," Danny said with a frown.

Nakoda smiled brightly. "Very good. Now, can you tell me how many fingers am I holding up?" Nakoda said and lifted her hand.

"Uh... Four?" Danny replied with a groan before squeezing his eyes shut.

Nakoda frowned. "It was two, but close enough I suppose..."

"I thought you left town. What are you doing here? And where am I?" Danny asked with his head lowered and his eyes closed. It was much easier to focus this way.

Nakoda looked up at the boy pinned to the wooden walls of the abandoned warehouse they were in. He was still out of his mind. She didn't even need to exert much focus to keep him pinned to the wall by her magic. Then again, he was just a boy. He probably wasn't very powerful to begin with. "In a warehouse downtown," she answered. "And I _did_ leave. But the guilt made me return. I couldn't just turn my back on my granddaughter like that. Kimiko may not care about her well-being, but I love my granddaughter."

"What are you _talking about?_ Why am I in a warehouse? Why can't I move? And _what_ is that _smell?"_ Danny asked and tried to bury his nose in his shoulder. He wasn't very successful, however.

"I brought you here last night. You've actually been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours. You're still weak from the spell that I used to incapacitate you. That was my error. It's been a while since I've had to use it on a ghost and I may have left you under its effects for too long," Nakoda replied with a slight shrug. "As for the smell, you threw up on yourself once during the night."

Danny cracked an eye open to see that the front of his shirt was, in fact, the totally gross color of baby food and... ectoplasm? He'd been unconscious for almost a _day?_ His parents were probably freaking out. Sam and Tucker must be worried. Were they looking for him? Sighing loudly, Danny spoke up again, "What do you want with me?"

"I want a few things from you," Nakoda replied while folding her arms over her chest. Since his head was lowered, Danny wasn't able to see the sudden shift from a pleasant, smiling face to one of disgusted fury. "First, I want an explanation. I've encountered many ghosts in my lifetime, but I've never come across one like you. The more time I spend with you, the more questions I have. You aren't being possessed by the Phantom boy. What sort of connection do you have with him? He inhabits your body like a parasite- feeding off of you and poisoning you with his ghostly energy and ectoplasm."

"The only person poisoning me is _you_ ," Danny hissed with a fierce glare.

Nakoda sighed and shook her head. _Youth_. "While I am sure that you are a nice boy, Danny I cannot allow you to continue living. In order to destroy Phantom, you have to die as well. You two are so tightly bonded to each other it's almost like you're the same person! Really, I'm doing you a favor. Not only you but Kagome as well. She really shouldn't be associating with a _ghost_ anyway," Nakoda commented before moving away from Danny.

"Wait! You can't!" Danny exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Danny. I don't particularly care for the messier elimination tactics. I'll just give you a little potion," Nakoda said before picking up a large purse from the dirty floors. "It'll melt the ghost right out of your body!"

Danny watched her reach into the purse before attempting to tug his wrists away from the wall. Why couldn't he break free!? There wasn't even any rope to hold him in place!

"Don't bother. I've already given you some salt that I spelled to cancel out Phantom's ghostly powers. You tried to throw it up, but fortunately, it still worked," Nakoda explained while taking an unnecessarily large syringe out of the bag. Danny could see a black liquid moving around in the syringe. "If you're lucky, you might even survive this, Danny. What's more? You'll no longer have any ghostly energy corrupting you. That sounds _so_ much better. At least then you would be able to be with my granddaughter without the threat of dying from her magic."

"Kagome wouldn't hurt me. She's not like you," Danny vehemently argued and attempted to pull his arms free again. He even attempted to summon up the energy for an ectoblast, but it wasn't working. Not even his ice powers were working!

Nakoda's eyes widened in shock. "I'm not trying to hurt _you,_ Danny," Nakoda said with sympathy lighting her eyes. "I just want to destroy the _other_ Danny," Nakoda promised before brandishing the needle.

~9 HOURS EARLIER~

"Sammie-kins, would you be a dear and pass the water?" Sam heard her mother ask. With a barely restrained sigh, Sam lifted the pitcher that was near her before passing it to her father who then passed it to her mother. Pam Manson couldn't _stand_ it when Sam passed the pitcher directly to her. It wasn't proper table manners to pass things over the food... ' _Lunchtime at the Manson house_ ,' Sam thought with a silent sigh.

Sam was spearing more of her salad onto her fork when Pam suddenly spoke again. "Sam, how is your friend doing?"

"Danny's fine," Sam responded monotonously.

"No. Not that boy. Your _other_ friend. The new one," Pam hinted and took a bite of her pasta.

"I've been friends with Tucker for years," Sam responded with a brow raised. She knew that her parents were blissfully unaware of the reality of her life, but Sam never thought that they'd been _this_ blind.

Pam frowned. " _No,_ Sam. That sweet Japanese girl. Oh, what was her name again? It starts with a K," Pam trailed off.

" _Kagome_?" Sam answered with an incredulous tone.

"Yes! Kagome," Pam said with a bright smile. "She's such a sweet girl."

Sam nearly excused herself from the table. While she and Kagome no longer held any sort of open hostility between them, they could hardly be called "friends". If her mother liked Kagome, Sam couldn't help but feel secure in her decision to remain just acquaintances with the Japanese girl. Under different circumstances, Sam had a feeling that she would have gotten along very well with Kagome. But Danny...

"Kagome's fine," Sam finally answered.

"Are you two going to spending any time together soon? I think it would be a good idea to take the two of you down to the mall today to do a bit of shopping. I've seen Kagome out shopping with _her_ mother a few times," Pam hinted and delicately dabbed her napkin at the mouth.

"Raincheck on "Mother-Daughter Day"? I'm full. Can I be excused?" Sam panicked.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Jeremy answered and sipped his water. Before anyone could say anything else, Sam grabbed her plate and empty cup before dashing out of the dining room. That was _close._ She could _not_ stay in the house anymore today. If she spent any more time in her mother's presence, Pam would _definitely_ force Sam into a day-long shopping trip. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Sam quickly sent a text to Tucker and Danny.

 **Meet me at the arcade in 20. CAN'T stay home today.**

It took a few minutes, but she received a confirmation from Tucker first. Without waiting for Danny's response, Sam quickly ran back up to her room to grab her wallet.

Twenty-one minutes later, Tucker was walking towards Sam as she stood outside the arcade with her phone in hand. "Hey, Sam. What's going on?" Tucker asked once he got close.

"My mom wants to have a mother-daughter shopping trip. She even wanted Kagome to come with us," Sam answered and rolled her eyes.

Personally, Tucker didn't see what was wrong with going shopping with Kagome. She'd just be trying on different clothes like dresses, skirts, ...swimsuits... Subtly shaking himself out, Tucker nodded sympathetically. Sam definitely wouldn't enjoy a day of shopping for girly outfits. "That sucks," Tucker said.

"Tell me about it," Sam replied and rolled her eyes. "When is Danny going to get here? You don't think he's _still_ at home sleeping. Do you?"

"Probably. We can head inside. I'm sure he'll make it after he wakes up," Tucker said with a shrug. Sam nodded in agreement before the pair entered the air-conditioned arcade.

~:~

Sometimes, Sam considered getting Danny a watch for his birthday or Christmas. But, then he would probably lose it or damage it in a ghost fight. She could even picture the sheepish look he'd have on his face when he showed her the broken watch (if he still had it). Honestly, it would be too much of a hassle. But, at times like these, Sam really wished that Danny had a watch or at least a working alarm clock.

"Hey, Danny. Where _are_ you? Call me back, okay?" Sam left the message on his voicemail before turning to where Tucker was playing pinball. "He still isn't answering."

Tucker chuckled once. "He probably knows how worried you are and is avoiding answering while he runs around trying to get ready," Tucker said over his shoulder with his eyes focused on his game.

"I'm not " _worried",_ " Sam acknowledged while staring down at the text she had sent Danny an hour ago.

" _Relax,_ Sam. It's only been an hour... He's just tired or something," Tucker said. ' _Or over at Kagome's',_ Tucker thought to himself. He'd never say this out loud, however. The _last_ thing to tell Sam when she was worried about Danny was that he was probably with Kagome (or any other girl). Sometimes, Tucker wasn't sure which reaction from Sam was worse, her reaction to hearing Danny was with another girl or her reaction to hearing that Danny was in trouble and fighting a ghost.

"Okay. If he doesn't call after another hour, then I'm calling again."

That hour went by frustratingly slowly for Sam. As soon as those sixty minutes had passed, Sam had her phone pressed to her face once again. It wasn't uncommon for Danny to sleep in after staying up late, but sleeping until almost 2:30 was ridiculous! Tucker watched her as she waited for Danny to answer and then pulled her phone away with a curse. "He's _still_ not answering."

"Why don't you try calling Kagome? Maybe she's heard from him?" Tucker suggested.

Sam raised a brow before pulling up her contacts. Sam had saved Kagome's number in her phone months ago, but she couldn't remember a time when she'd ever used it. There's a first time for everything. After several seconds, Sam took the phone away from her ear again. "She's not answering either."

"They could be watching a movie or at Kagome's house working on her magic," Tucker suggested.

"Should we go check?" Sam asked Tucker with a hesitant expression. Tucker raised a brow at her but didn't answer. Sam sighed loudly. "You know I just don't want him to get hurt. Right? Danny can be so _clueless_ sometimes. I don't want him to keep chasing after Kagome when she's clearly not interested," Sam explained.

"You don't have to tell me, Sam. I get it," Tucker said and rested his hand on Sam's shoulder. "There's only so much you can do. If you try to say something, Danny'd probably take it the wrong way. Besides, I think he already knows that it's a lost cause."

"So why does he-"

"Sometimes it's hard to walk away when you really care about someone," Tucker hinted.

Sam stilled. After a few seconds, she deflated with another hefty sigh. "Alright. Can we stop by the Skulk and Lurk? I have a book on hold there," Sam resigned.

"Sure, Sam," Tucker agreed with a small, encouraging smile.

~:~

At four o' clock on the dot, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief before taking a seat onto the mat below her. While she was taking deep breaths, she heard her new, kickboxing instructor chuckle loudly. He was a stocky man of average height with graying hair and a thick mustache. "You look exhausted!" he exclaimed in his booming voice.

Kagome pushed herself up slowly with a groan. "That's because I am!" she replied. She'd started taking this kickboxing class once her mother had become too busy to practice karate with her anymore. It was a great way to learn new techniques while still keeping her skills sharp.

"That's enough for today then. You've earned a good rest."

' _Thank goodness,'_ Kagome thought as she crawled over to her bag. There was no way her legs would be functional enough to walk right now. Plucking her phone out of the front pocket, she reclined onto the mat as she checked her messages.

 **Paulina: Dash asked me 2 go with him 2 the fair on Saturday. Wat should I say?**

Kagome quickly texted back. **He mentioned asking u. He was thinking about winning u a stuffed animal.**

 **Paulina: ¡Dios mío! Not ANOTHER one. Whatever. I'll tell him yes so he'll stop bugging me.**

Kagome shook her head with a chuckle. Moving on to the next notification, she saw that Sam had called her. Kagome immediately sat up with a deep frown. Sam had _never_ called her before. She'd never even sent a text message! Why would she call now? Quickly tapping the "Call Back" button, Kagome nibbled at her lower lip. This had to be important if _Sam_ was the one calling... Normally, it would be Danny or Tucker who-

" _Hello?"_

"Sam, it's Kagome. What's up? You called me," Kagome said.

" _Yeah. Like two hours ago. Tucker and I were just wondering if you'd heard from Danny today. I messaged him to meet us at the arcade at 12 but he never showed."_

"No. I haven't seen him since last night. Did you go over to his house?"

" _No. We figured that he was with you."_

"Not today," Kagome answered and grabbed her bag as she stood. "I'm heading home now. I'll text you if I see him."

" _We're on our way,"_ Sam said before promptly hanging up.

Without any hesitation, Kagome quickly left the studio while trying to locate her car keys. She couldn't help but think about what Sam had said. Neither of them had seen Danny all day? That was unbelievable. Sam and Tucker were usually the best at keeping track of Danny. Kagome knew for a fact that Danny was practically obligated to let Sam (and Tucker) know if anything was going on with him. But there couldn't be anything going on. Right? Kagome'd spoken to Danny just last night! He had gone to bed. Right?

Kagome had never driven so recklessly. Having a friend go AWOL wasn't usually the most worrying thing in the world. But when your friend was a half-ghost who constantly lived a life of ghost hunting and life-threatening danger, a little extra worry was necessary. When she pulled up in front of her house, Kagome left the car parked on the street before getting out. She stared at Fenton Works for a few seconds, her eyes gazing at Danny's room.

"Kagome!"

Turning quickly, Kagome spotted Sam and Tucker running towards her. Tucker looked extremely fatigued if his loud panting was any indication, but Sam didn't stop running. "Guys! He's not there," Kagome said.

"What do you mean? You already checked?" Sam asked and stared up at the second floor of Fenton Works.

"I don't need to. I can't sense him in there," Kagome replied.

"You... can... _sense_ Danny?" Tucker asked in between loud pants.

"Yeah. My grandmother showed me how to sense ghostly energy. I know Danny's like the back of my hand and he's not in there," Kagome said and gestured to his home.

"Then where can he be? You don't think that he's in the Ghost Zone?" Sam asked.

"I don't think he'd go without telling us," Tucker replied. "We can try the Booo-merang."

"The what?"

"It's this stupid device Danny's dad made. It's keyed into his ecto-signature. It can find him anywhere," Sam explained.

"Okay. Where is it?"

"It's in Danny's house. I'll go get it," Tucker said before dashing across the street.

Once the two girls were alone, it became blatantly obvious how unprepared they were for this situation. The awkward silence set in immediately, with both girls trying to focus on anything else. Unfortunately, the first (and only) thing they focused on was Danny's disappearance. Kagome sighed deeply. "It doesn't make sense. He told me that he was going home. I even sensed him at home before I fell asleep. Where could he have gone?" Kagome voiced her thoughts.

"I _knew_ I should have checked on him earlier," Sam declared.

"I'm a little surprised that you didn't. You're usually the first person to worry about Danny. What happened?" Kagome asked.

"Tucker convinced me to give him some space. We thought... that he'd be with you. He doesn't usually tell us when he's hanging out with you. Or, at least, he doesn't tell _me,"_ Sam said while staring resolutely at Fenton Works.

"Oh..." Kagome responded while looking away awkwardly. "Sam... I-"

"Don't bother. I get it. It's not your fault," Sam cut her off.

"You should tell him you know. He'll never know if you don't tell him," Kagome said with a serious tone. Sam frowned.

"I got it!"

Both girls turned eagerly to face Tucker as he ran across the street with the Booo-merang in hand. He stopped in front of them before pressing the green button to activate the device and tossing it into the air with all his strength. They all watched as the Booo-merang beeped loudly for several seconds while spinning around the block. "Is it supposed to be going in circles like that?" Kagome asked.

"It should have found him by now. Maybe he _is_ in the Ghost Zone," Sam commented. Eventually, the Booo-merang returned to the trio, crashing roughly into the pavement at their feet. Sam picked it up with a deep frown on her face. "He _has_ to be in trouble. We have to do something _now."_

Kagome watched Sam and Tucker turn to run towards Fenton Works before shouting, "Wait!"

"There's no time to wait! Are you coming or not? Danny needs help _now,"_ Sam declared in a fierce tone.

"No. I mean, we don't have to go looking for him. That might take too long. I can just summon him to us," Kagome explained.

"You can do that? Why didn't we have a witch in the group from the beginning!?" Tucker exclaimed excitedly.

"I just need something of his- some kind of personal item that he has a connection with," Kagome said.

"Let's get something out of his room. Come on," Sam instructed before leading them over to Danny's house. Quietly, she cracked the front door open before creeping inside. "We don't want to let Danny's parents know he's missing," Sam whispered and led the group past the living room and up to the second floor.

"Wouldn't it be better to have as many people as possible helping us find him?" Kagome reasoned softly.

"Not if Danny's fighting some ghost in the Ghost Zone. His parents have never been there and would probably go crazy trying to waste every ghost they see- including Danny," Sam argued. "If you can get him back, we don't need to tell them anything."

Once the trio was standing in Danny's room, Sam shut the door behind them. "What's that burning smell?" Tucker asked and coughed several times. He buried his face in his shirt as his eyes watered. Sam was quick to open a window in the middle of her own coughing spree.

Kagome's eyes widened. "It smells like burnt sweets," Kagome said in a faraway voice.

"Like birthday cake," Tucker commented in a muffled voice.

Suddenly, Kagome dashed around the room while searching high and low. Sam raised a brow at her. "Is there something in particular we should use? Like clothes or something?" Sam asked.

"This smell. It's familiar," Kagome said. "My grandmother showed me a spell... After burning whatever it is you spelled, it makes things smell like burnt sweets. When a human breathes it, it irritates the respiratory track a little but you'll be fine after a while. But to a ghost, the fumes are like a narcotic and hallucinogen in one."

"You think a witch has Danny?" Sam asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"It makes the most sense," Kagome answered. "I don't think it's just a witch. I think it's my grandmother. She's the only one besides me and my mom who know that Danny's a ghost."

"Kagome, start that spell of yours. We need to save Danny _now,"_ Sam commanded and handed Kagome one of Danny's shirts from his hamper. Kagome sat on Danny's bed and closed her eyes. Sam and Tucker watched her mutter to herself softly with anxious expressions on their faces. They could see her hands tightening slowly around the shirt as her brows furrowed. "Is it working?" Sam asked impatiently.

"I...can't establish a connection," Kagome said.

"What does that mean?" Sam questioned.

I think there's a cloaking spell around them. It's probably why the Booo-merang couldn't find him," Kagome said.

"So, what do we do now?" Tucker asked.

"I can try again but I need something with a stronger connection than his shirt. I need something he's close to or uses every day- something with an emotional connection," Kagome said and tossed the shirt back in the hamper.

Tucker went towards Danny's dresser and pulled out another article of clothing. "What about his underwear?"

" _Gross_ and no," Kagome replied.

"What about his Fenton thermos? He always has it on him," Sam suggested and handed over the thermos.

Kagome took the thermos and tried again. "It's... It's better but I not good enough. He's still somewhere in town," Kagome said.

"Come on, Tucker. We have to find something!" Sam urged as her eyes scanned over the floors.

"His phone!" Tucker exclaimed and handed over the device that was lying on the floor.

Sam turned away from the two and started searching through Danny's bedside table. She could hear Kagome's failed attempts behind her. She didn't have time to focus on the many different things Tucker was throwing at Kagome! She had to find something they could use. Maybe Danny kept something that they'd given him? After having no success in his bedside table, Sam started upturning Danny's mattress. People liked to hide personal things under their mattresses right? Tossing away a pillow, Sam paused. _Finally!_ Danny was keeping some paper under his pillow. Maybe they could use-

Sam froze. It was a photo strip from some photo booth. The four pictures on the strip had Danny happily posing with Kagome. Sam wasn't sure when they'd taken these pictures, but they had to be important if Danny kept them hidden under his pillow. With an expressionless face, Sam called out, "Kagome, try this."

Kagome raised a brow at the paper being held out to her. She took the paper before recognizing it as the pictures she had taken with Danny last summer. Without a word, Kagome got to work. "...I think I can see him. He's...sleeping?"

"Are you _sure_ he's _just_ sleeping?" Sam asked anxiously.

"Yeah. He's sleeping on a wall. He's really dirty," Kagome replied.

"Where is he?" Tucker asked.

"I'm...not sure. He's up against a wooden wall somewhere in town," Kagome answered and opened her eyes.

"We have to find him. I say we split up and start searching. Most of the buildings in town are concrete anyways. If we split up Amity Park, we should be able to find him," Sam said in a firm tone. She moved over to Danny's desk before searching through his drawers. "Here, Kagome. Take this Fenton Phone. Tucker and I will get ours. If anyone finds him, let the others know."

"We should be extra careful. I know you guys have experience fighting ghosts. But fighting a witch is different," Kagome warned and slipped the Fenton Phone into her ear. "You can't trap a witch in a Fenton Thermos and call it a day."

"We know. We'll be careful, but we have to move fast. Danny needs _us_ to save _him_ now," Sam declared with a determined look. Kagome and Tucker nodded once in agreement.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! Your reviews could help save Danny before it's too late!


	11. Sending Mixed Signals

Moi-Moi: Do you guys listen to music when you're reading? I do. I listen to it when I'm writing, too. Honestly, I can't find a better song to listen to for dramatic, action scenes (like the ones in this chapter) than "False Alarm" by The Weeknd. Maybe "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy or "Confident" by Demi Lovato if it's a girl power scene. If you guys have a better suggestion, let me know! :D

~:~

Kagome scanned the buildings as she drove along the deserted street. How many buildings in Amity Park were still made of wood!? The worry she was feeling was slowly building into a mountain of nerves. If her grandmother hurt Danny, she'd never forgive herself. She had to find him before it was too late...

" _This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!"_ Kagome heard Tucker exclaim.

" _Keep looking, Tucker. We have to find Danny! Kagome, how's he doing?"_ Sam asked.

Kagome reached over to pick up the photo strip that rested on the passenger's seat next to her. She pulled over quickly and closed her eyes in concentration. "He's still asleep. We still have time to find him," Kagome said before quickly pulling onto the road again.

" _Then let's move. We don't know how much longer we have,"_ Sam urged. Sam was right. The sun was quickly setting on them. Who knows how much time they had left?

" _Kagome, any idea what your grandma might be planning?"_ Tucker asked with a little hesitation in his tone, as if he didn't want to hear the answer.

"I'm not sure. If she wanted to waste him, she could have done that already," Kagome answered.

" _Try not to focus on why she hasn't hurt him and focus on finding him instead. Kagome, if anything changes, let us know,"_ Sam said.

"Got it," Kagome responded.

Kagome could feel seeds of respect being planted for Sam. The way the goth immediately took control of the situation was quite impressive. For a group of teenagers, her friends were pretty mature and responsible. They all had admirable character traits that you'd rarely find in kids their age- Danny's self-sacrificing courage, Sam's stubborn determination, and Tucker's ingenuity. It made Kagome wonder if they would begin to rub off on her (or if they already had).

Eventually, time started to move both slowly and rapidly at the same time. Ten minutes of driving around skyscrapers turned into thirty which turned into fifty all in what felt like ten seconds! The failure was really wearing on Kagome's nerves. What good was magic if she couldn't use it when she really needed it!? She couldn't sense Danny's ghostly energy, she couldn't establish a strong enough connection to his ghost half to summon him away, and she couldn't even find where he was being hidden.

" _Hey! Don't give up hope yet, Kagome. We still have time right?"_ Sam's voice asked.

Had she been talking out loud? "Uh... Yeah..."

" _It's times like these that make me wish I had Danny's ghost sense. You know? Then we could find him easy,"_ Tucker said. " _Heck, even a witch sense would work right about now..."_

A witch sense? Suddenly, Kagome's foot slammed down on the break. Luckily, she was alone on this street. "Tucker! You're a genius!" Kagome shouted.

" _I am?"_

" _Why is Tucker a genius now?"_

"A witch sense! That's genius!" Kagome shouted and closed her eyes.

" _I still don't get it..."_

 _"Kagome, can you sense your grandmother?"_ Sam asked anxiously.

"No. But I can try to sense her magic. When a witch uses their magic in the vacinity of other witches, we can sense it, especially if it's a lot being used. It's like a homing beacon that only we can see. Right now, I don't think she's using too much, but I can still sense her... She's south! Near the edge of town in the warehouse district," Kagome said and quickly did a U-turn on the street. "Sorry it took so long to remember that guys. I really need to work on using my sixth sense."

" _It's cool. We know where he is now. Let's hurry before it's too late,"_ Sam replied.

~:~

' _Shit,'_ Danny couldn't help but think. He once again put all his effort into pulling at his arms and kicking his legs. Nakoda was approaching him slowly with a sort of sympathetic look on her face. "S-stay away from me!" Danny shouted.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Danny. Don't you want to be normal? Don't you want to be rid of that parasite once and for all?" Nakoda asked and placed a hand onto Danny's elbow. "I can fix you."

' _Think, Fenton. Think! You have to do something or you're toast!'_

Nakoda sighed loudly. Why couldn't he keep _still?_ "Keep still, Danny," Nakoda chided before placing her thumb to his forehead. Once Danny's entire body stilled, Nakoda nodded once. "I'm not a doctor. I don't want to accidentally hurt you," Nakoda explained while aiming her needle.

Danny could only take erratic breaths as his eyes remained focused on the ceiling. His entire body was unresponsive, but he could feel Nakoda's fingers tenderly grip his arm. When the needle finally pricked his skin, Danny sucked in a large breath.

" _Danny_!"

Just like that, the air left his lungs slowly and he nearly cried out in relief. That sounded like Kagome! He couldn't see her but he could hear a car engine and quick footsteps. Seconds later, it sounded like a door had been slammed open.

"Danny!"

"Kagome? What are you doing here? Just stay back, sweetheart. The ghost may react unpredictably," Nakoda said. She must have pressed the plunger on the needle because Danny could feel an icy burn starting to gather under his skin.

~:~

She didn't think her next actions through. Before it had even registered in her brain, Kagome's legs were running towards Nakoda. Seconds later, she was tackling her sixty-six-year-old grandmother to the ground. The needle in Danny's arm went flying before it crashed to the floor and leaked its contents onto the concrete. While her grandmother groaned beneath her, Kagome pulled herself to her feet before running over to Danny. Under different circumstances, she was sure that she would feel a tidal wave of guilt for what she had just done, but there was more important things happening. "I'm so sorry she did this. I'm so sorry. I'm so _so_ sorry," she kept repeating as she canceled out the hold Nakoda's magic had on him. Once he was dislodged from the wall, Kagome caught his limp body before steadying him. "Come on, Danny. We have to get to the car."

"My arm. She gave me something," Danny said.

Kagome glanced down at Danny's arm suspiciously before gasping loudly. At the sight of the black, spider web-like veins that were spreading under his pale skin, Kagome nearly dropped him. "It's going to be okay. It doesn't look like she gave you a lot. I can fix this, but I have to do it now before you get worse," Kagome said as she slowly eased him to the ground.

"It'll get _worse?"_ Danny asked incredulously.

"She gave you some salt. Didn't she? The potion is mild now. But once you get your powers back, it'll hurt like hell. I'm going to try to draw it out," Kagome said and placed her hands over Danny's arm.

"Kagome Takahashi," Nakoda said in a stern voice as she pushed herself into a standing position. "You get away from that boy _right now."_

"Try to breathe deeply. Okay?" Kagome said to Danny. Danny stared up at her before nodding.

" _Ugoku!"_ Nakoda shouted and waved her arm at the pair.

"Kagome!" Danny shouted when Kagome was suddenly knocked away from him. He watched her roll away weakly before shaking herself out. For once, his muscles responded when he attempted to move. "Are you okay?" he asked as he crawled towards her slowly. Before he could make it half-way, he felt a force yank on the back of his shirt.

"There's more than one way to destroy a ghost. I wanted to use a way that would spare you, Danny. But, now I'm not feeling so generous," Nakoda said and flipped Danny onto his back. Danny gasped as his eyes widened. Damn it! His powers still weren't working...

"Neither am I! Grandma, I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you hurt Danny," Kagome declared. " _Ugoku."_

As soon as Nakoda was no longer at Danny's side, Kagome rushed towards him before turning on her grandmother. "He's _not_ evil, grandma. He's not some unnatural abomination. He's my friend and I won't let you hurt him," Kagome announced in a firm voice. She wanted to defend Danny, but she couldn't physically injure her grandmother! It was easy to fight and knock out some ghost, but Nakoda was still family. She'd just have to try something else if she wanted to stop Nakoda without hurting her.

Nakoda coughed lightly as she pulled herself up onto her hands and knees. Glancing in front of her, she could see Kagome standing in front of the boy with her eyes closed and her lips moving. She was whispering the words to the spell, but Nakoda could hear the incantation plain as day. Nakoda's eyes widened. The gem around Kagome's neck was glowing brightly. Gusts of wind were rocking the rickety foundation of the warehouse as well as knocking over some cardboard boxes and crates that were stacked around them. It wasn't long before Nakoda's hair was whipping her face in response to the growing winds. "Kagome! Wait!" Nakoda called out when she felt the change in her body. Her magic! "Stop! Don't do this!" Nakoda shouted.

This shouldn't be happening! She was losing her magic. How could this happen? Kagome was strong enough to use this spell, but that didn't mean that she would be able to cast it. A witch could only lose their magic if they'd used it wrongly. Right? ' _When had I used my magic wrongly!? I was saving that boy!'_ Eventually, the drain on her magic grew to be too taxing on her frail body. Nakoda fell forward in an unconscious heap just as the wind died down.

"Kagome? What...just happened?" Danny asked from where he laid behind her. It hadn't looked like Kagome had done anything to Nakoda besides knock her out.

Kagome turned and quickly kneeled at his side. "Don't worry. I didn't hurt her. It was a magic transfer spell," Kagome answered and placed her hands over his infected arm.

"You transferred her magic? To what?"

"Into the earth. It's sort of this witch doctrine that our magic is a gift of the earth. If you misuse your magic to kill a living creature, you can lose it. So, I just made her give hers back," Kagome explained in a light tone. "Even though you're half-ghost, you're still half-human and very much alive," Kagome added lightly.

"Oh..." Danny replied unintelligently. He glanced down at where her hands were lightly caressing the skin of his arm. The feel of her hands on his arm was doing wonders for the pain he was a feeling. Although, he wasn't sure if the pleasantly numb sensation he was getting was from her healing him or from her touch in general. He definitely needed a distraction. "How did you find me?"

"I'm still learning the ropes when it comes to magic, but I know a thing or two," Kagome answered with a small smirk. She could see the black veins slowly fade away as the liquid was drawn out of the puncture wound on his arm. "How do you feel now?"

"Better. Thanks," Danny said as he slowly sat up.

"Sam and Tucker are on their way. We can wait for them if you want. Or I could take you home to change. You're...kind of a mess," Kagome pointed out.

Danny hung his head with a loud sigh. "My parents are probably freaking out. I should go home," Danny said and stood.

"I'll let Sam and Tucker know that I'm taking you home," Kagome said.

~:~

Maddie frowned as she paced the floors of Danny's messy room. It was probably an after effect of having her first-born moving out, but Maddie was feeling extra attentive to Danny lately. Granted, she and Jack were still spending most the day holed up in the lab. But Maddie always made sure that she left the lab by 6:30 at the latest so that she could get dinner started. At 8, she got Jack to come up from the lab and Danny to come down from his room so that they could eat dinner together. So when 8 o' clock came and went with no sign of Danny, Maddie was a bit miffed. Jack had assured her that Danny was probably out with his friends again and would come home soon. But that was over an hour ago.

" _Maddie_... Pacing in his room won't make Danny come home any sooner," Jack admonished with a raised brow when he suddenly stuck his head in through Danny's doorway. "Geez. What a pigsty. It looks like someone turned this place upside down."

"We should call him, Jack. So that he doesn't miss curfew again. I hate it when we have to ground him," Maddie pleaded.

"His curfew isn't until 11, Maddie. I think Danny's been really responsible lately. You're worrying for nothing, Honey. He's probably across the street right now," Jack soothed and gently tugged Maddie out of Danny's room.

"You're probably right, Jack," Maddie said before wrinkling her nose. She coughed a few times before covering her nose with her hand. "What is that smell?"

"I don't smell anything," Jack replied and took a few, tentative sniffs of the air.

"It's coming from Danny's room. It smells like something's burning," Maddie said and pulled her hand out of Jack's grip.

"I don't smell anything. Now, why don't we go downstairs and relax. You can wait for Danny there and I can work on my needlepoint! Or we could have some fudge..." Jack suggested.

"Oh. Alright, Jack," Maddie acquiesced and allowed Jack to lead her downstairs. Once they'd made it to the bottom of the stairs, they both went straight for the kitchen. While Maddie opened up the bowl of fudge that she had made earlier that day, Jack bounced on his feet like an anxious child. "Here you go, Jack," Maddie said just as she heard the front door close softly. "Danny!?" Maddie called out with a surprised expression.

" _Hey mom! I'm sorry I missed dinner! I'm going up to my room. Okay?"_

"Danny! Wait!" Maddie called out and quickly abandoned the fudge. She could feel Jack on her heels as she walked out into the living room. Half-way up the staircase, Danny was frozen in place with Kagome at his side. "Danny, where were you? You could have called and said that you weren't going to make it for dinner."

"That's my fault, Mrs. Fenton. Danny and I were out today and we got hungry so we went for dinner too," Kagome explained with an apologetic smile. While Kagome turned to face them, Danny still gave them his back.

"Oh. Well, that's alright I suppose. Just make sure to call next time, Danny," Maddie chided.

"Sure thing, mom!" Danny replied just before the teens practically flew up the steps.

Maddie frowned slightly. "That was strange," Maddie commented.

"They're teenagers, Maddie. Half the things they do can't be explained," Jack shrugged and went back to the kitchen for his fudge.

~:~

Once they were safely in his room, Kagome shut the door behind them before helping Danny over to his bed. "What happened to my bed?" Danny asked when he saw that his sheets were stripped from the mattress and his pillows were laying on the floor. "What happened to my _room_?"

"Sam, Tucker and I were here earlier. We were trying to find something that I could use to track you," Kagome explained and helped him onto the bed. She grabbed his pillows before placing them under his head.

"I'm guessing you found something," Danny said dryly.

"Yeah. Sam found these when she was turning your bed inside out," Kagome answered and took the photo strip out of her front pocket. She watched Danny's eyes widen while a blush graced his cheeks. Before he could even try to speak, Kagome cut him off. "It's okay, Danny. All that matters is that you're okay. I'm more worried about whether or not you're mad with me."

"Why would I be mad at you? You saved my life tonight," Danny replied in a surprised tone.

"Your life wouldn't have been in danger if it weren't for my grandmother," she said as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Well, that's her fault. Not yours. If I can't blame myself for my enemies attacking you, you can't blame yourself for your grandmother attacking me," Danny declared.

Kagome sighed once before smiling in relief. "Deal," she agreed. With his photos still clutched in her hands, Kagome stared down at Danny for several seconds. "Are you sure that you're feeling better? I think you should sleep with your window open to make sure that all of the smell is gone."

"I'm fine. Don't worry so much," Danny replied with an easy-going smile.

Not able to resist, Kagome returned the smile. He was staring so intently at her that she found herself unable to hold his gaze. Unfortunately, her eyes landed on the pictures in her hands. They looked kind of good together. Clearing her throat once, Kagome leaned forward to place the photos down onto his bedside table. Where had that come from? "I-I should go. You probably want to change out of those clothes," Kagome said in a shaky voice.

She must have been moving too slow. Before she could get off the bed, Danny was already sitting up and holding her hand in his. At such a close proximity to him, Kagome could see almost every detail on Dany's face. She'd always thought that his eyes were completely blue. But now, she could see a few flecks of neon green swimming in them. She stopped breathing when his eyes slid closed.

Their second kiss was... different. She felt a different kind of tingle that moved from her lips down to her toes and back up to the roots of the hairs on her head. She had been a passive participant last time. But, this time, she could feel her hands slowly moving upwards to gently cup his cheeks. She tried to ignore the tickling feelings on her forehead from the hair that was hanging off of Danny's head. But just like that, the light of realization flickered to life amongst the haze that had taken over her mind. Pulling away slightly, Kagome kept her head down as her face heated.

"...I'm sorry," she heard Danny apologize softly, but she had the strangest feeling that he wasn't really sorry.

"Don't be," Kagome replied in a small voice. Her heart was pounding enough that she could feel it throughout her chest, her lungs couldn't take in a proper breath, and she couldn't get her mouth to stop smiling. Reigning in the smile on her face, Kagome cleared her throat and shook her head out a little to clear it. "I...I'm going to let you get changed and cleaned up. I'll check on you tomorrow to see how you're feeling."

"Okay."

She made the wrong choice of looking at him. A new wave of embarassment flooded through her when she spotted the blissful (and borderline dopey) look on Danny's face. With a face redder than a tomato, Kagome suddenly stood up from the bed before walking stifly towards the door. "See you later, Danny!" she tossed out quickly over her shoulder before dashing from the room.

The speed walk she had adopted didn't ease up until she was safely within the privacy of her bedroom. For good measure, she drew the curtains over her windows that faced the street (and Fenton Works). Hearing a low whine behind her, Kagome gasped loudly and turned. "Aki! You scared me," Kagome said with a relieved sigh. Seeing the confused look on the dog's face, Kagome walked over to her bed and took a seat. "I think I goofed, Aki. I'm definitely sending him mixed signals," Kagome said before groaning loudly. ' _Why'd I KISS Danny!? It wasn't bad, but still... I don't like Danny like that.'_

~:~

It just didn't make any sense.

How did the ghost child manage to get such a powerful witch to defend him!? The Fright Knight had only managed to observe the end of the fight, but it had been more than enough time to see that young witch take away the older one's magic and effectively defend the ghost child. But it just didn't make any sense. Why would any witch want to help a ghost? What's more? Why would she help the ghost child? If she wanted to aid anyone, she should serve the true king- Pariah Dark.


	12. Double Dating, Double Trouble

Moi-Moi: This chapter is mostly filler. I won't blame you for skipping it. I mean, _I_ wouldn't skip it cause it's pretty awesome. But you can...if you want. Wouldn't recommend it though. :)

~:~

It never ceased to amaze Danny just how easy it was to slip back into regular life after facing life-threatening situations. Just a few days ago, he'd been held captive by Kagome's grandmother and nearly wasted. But now, he was happily enjoying a burger and fries at the Nasty Burger with Sam and Tucker. Maybe he was just really adaptable? Danny sipped his soda as he listened to Tucker enthuse about the latest handheld device that he was saving up for. It was a bit difficult to understand him at times due to Tucker's slightly stuffed nose, however.

"Seriously, Tucker. You should be home getting some rest. You're sick," Sam chided and covered her nose and mouth with a napkin.

"It's nod dat bad, Sab. Besides, I god orange juice instead ob Cola today," Tucker said and displayed his cup for Sam to see before sniffling. Sam frowned at him and folded her arms over her chest.

"I don't know, Tuck. Maybe you should head home and take some medicine. Just in case," Danny suggested with a placating smile. Tucker slumped over with a defeated sigh.

"While you do that, I'm going to the bathroom," Sam said as she stood.

Danny watched her go before quickly turning to Tucker. "Tuck. I need some advice," Danny whispered. Immediately detecting the change in tone, Tucker raised a brow as he sipped his juice. "We're supposed to be going to the fair tomorrow and I'm totally freaking out."

"Why?"

"I didn't get a chance to tell you, but after Kagome dropped me home a few days ago I kissed her again," Danny whispered in a strained voice.

"Woah," Tucker replied with eyes widened in surprise. "And?"

"She didn't _look_ freaked out. She checked on me the next day and she didn't seem upset. She didn't really say anything about it and I don't know if that's a good thing or not," Danny fretted.

"Baybe id is? Baybe she likes you too, dude," Tucker suggested.

Danny pursed his lips as he stared down at his fries. "You think I should ask her out? Like officially?"

"Why nod?" Tucker replied with a carefree shrug. "Ebery one already thinks you're dating."

~:~

Why is it that all the bathroom stalls have to be out of order when you need them the most? Seriously? Sam felt tempted to speak to the manager- not just because of her needs but for the employees as well. Who thinks that they can run a business without providing a working bathroom for its employees!? Instead of unleashing her wrath on that unsuspecting soul, Sam made her way back to her table.

" _Baybe she likes you too, dude."_

Sam instantly froze. She could instantly recognize Tucker's stuffy voice.

" _You think I should ask her out? Like officially?"_

Danny? Sam's eyes widened with a soft gasp. She ducked behind the swinging doors that separated the bathrooms from the rest of the restaurant. They hadn't been able to secure their normal table. It was a busy lunch hour so they'd been forced to take the worst table in the restaurant- the one closest to the bathrooms. But that didn't mean that she should take advantage of this and eavesdrop.

" _Ebery one already thinks you're dating."_

Were they talking about her? It's true that almost everyone amongst their peers knew how she felt about Danny. They hadn't been able to escape the teasing during freshman year. But they weren't even dating! Not then and definitely not now. Nobody was even accusing them of being together anymore. They were too busy spreading rumors about Danny and Kagome...

" _If you think about it, going to the fair wouldn't have been too bad of an idea for a first date,"_ Danny said with a soft chuckle.

" _True. You can still ask, dude."_

 _"That's okay. We're all going tomorrow. Well... Sam, Kagome and I are. You're staying home and getting better,"_ Danny hinted.

" _Whateber. Just ask Kagome when you're ready."_

Kagome? Danny wanted to ask Kagome out? Honestly, Sam wasn't surprised. It was glaringly obvious how Danny felt. But she couldn't just stand back and let him ask her out! He'd be crushed when she rejected him (again). She had to stop him from-

" _I will. I think she'll say yes. I mean, we kissed again and she didn't ask to just be friends after. That's progress,"_ Danny said in a determined voice.

Sam froze. _Again_? Danny and Kagome had kissed again? When? _Why?_ Did... Did Kagome like Danny? Since when!? Peeking out through the crack between the open doors, Sam could see Danny smiling at nothing in particular. He had that goofy grin on his face of a boy with a crush. She wanted to be mad. She wanted to shout some sense into Danny, but what could she say? Aside from admitting how she felt, what could she say to Danny now? It's not like she could accuse Kagome of trying to hurt him. Kagome had saved his life! She even tried to spare his feelings time and time again.

Sam moved away from the doors with a sigh. She couldn't be mad with Danny. It's not like he could control it, just like she can't control how she felt. But, what could she do? What was there to do besides remain on the sidelines as usual?

" _If you don't tell him, he'll never know."_

Kagome was right. But she couldn't tell Danny _now!_ Danny would just let her down gently and then want to stay friends. If she told him now, it would definitely ruin everything. It would be better if he didn't know. At the very least, Sam wanted to stay friends. And as long as they weren't shoving their happiness down her throat, she could tolerate Kagome and Danny dating. Taking a deep breath, Sam stepped out through the doors.

~:~

Kagome held up yet another dress for scrutiny before tossing it backwards onto her bed. Why was this so hard? She groaned loudly before starting over at square one. She'd spent the last twenty minutes trying to find a decent outfit to wear out today. "It shouldn't be this hard. We're just going to a fair. It's no big deal," Kagome muttered as she pulled a skirt out of her closet. She held the skirt to her waist and looked at herself in the mirror.

" _Kagome?"_ Kimiko's voice called out through the bedroom door.

"You can come in, mama," Kagome said tossed the skirt onto her growing pile of clothes.

"Sweetheart, I just wanted to give you an extra twenty for food," Kimiko started as she stepped into the room. "Woah! What happened in here?" Kimiko asked when she spotted the state of Kagome's room. She was sure that every pair of shoes that Kagome owned was all over the floor. A large, colorful pile of clothes and hangers rested on the bed.

"I'm trying to find something to wear," Kagome answered.

"How's that working out?" Kimiko asked with a chuckle and carefully stepped into the room.

"Not good," Kagome moaned.

"I've never seen you so worked up over clothes. What's up?" Kimiko asked as she started picking up shoes from the floor.

"Well... I was just going to wear what I normally wear when I go out, but then Danny texted me that Tucker was sick and Sam can't make it. So, it would just be me and Danny going today. And then, _nothing_ looked good enough," Kagome explained.

Kimiko placed her hand on her chin as she hummed pensively. "I see... Well, what about...this, this, and this?" Kimiko suggested and grabbed a black crop top, a pair of ripped denim shorts, and a red and black flannel shirt. "You can wear some of those sneakers you like with it."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Mama! You're a genius! Thank you!" Kagome said while pulling her mother in for a tight hug.

"You better hurry up and get ready. Danny will be here soon," Kimiko advised while leaving twenty dollars on an unoccupied corner of Kagome's bed. Kimiko left the room with a smile on her face. Kagome had never put this much care into her appearance when Danny was concerned... Something must have changed. Was Kagome developing feelings for Danny? "How sweet," Kimiko muttered to herself.

When she reentered the kitchen, Kimiko found Judai eating his cereal and reading a comic at the table. "What's your plan for today, Judai?"

"Vlad wants to do a _male-bonding_ thing," he responded.

"That's nice," Kimiko smiled encouragingly.

"He wants to play _golf,_ mom. I'd rather be hexed," Judai scoffed.

Kimiko shook her head with a frown. At least he was going... Before she could question him further, they both heard two knocks on the front door just before someone shouted a "good morning" throughout the house.

"Good morning, Danny!" Kimiko called.

Seconds later, Danny appeared in the doorway with a smile on his face. "Good morning. Is Kagome ready to go?" he asked.

"She's just finishing up. Why don't you have a seat while you wait?" Kimiko suggested. Danny nodded once before taking the seat across from Judai. "So, should I consider this a date?" Kimiko asked with a sly grin.

"Uh! I-I don't think so. We're just hanging out. Sam and Tucker were going with us too," Danny explained.

"But they aren't anymore. And if it's just the two of you, that's _like_ a date. Isn't it?" Kimiko asked with a smirk on her face. When Danny's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink, even Judai chuckled at his discomfort. "I'm just teasing you, Danny. Relax. It's good to take things one step at a time. Ne?"

"What do you mean by that?" Danny asked.

"I'm ready!"

"Oh, you look great sweetheart," Kimiko gushed when she spotted Kagome standing in the doorway.

"Yeah. You look... really... _yeah_ ," Danny said, struggling to find the right words.

"Thanks, Danny. You look really _yeah_ too," Kagome replied with a grin. She was only teasing, but Danny still found himself getting embarrassed.

"Now, you kids have fun, but be safe. Look out for each other."

"We will, mama. Let's go, Danny," Kagome said as she hoisted Danny up by his arm. "See you later!"

"Bye, Kagome!" Kimiko called out with a smile.

~:~

With the amount of people that had gathered, the sounds of the upbeat pop song that was playing were almost drowned out. Danny had reasoned to himself and Kagome that they should hold hands so that they don't get separated from each other. Seeing the logic in his reasoning, Kagome slipped her hand in his with only a small amount of hesitation. "What do you want to do first?" Danny asked and looked over at her.

"Hmmm," Kagome hummed as she pursed her lips in thought. She could see various booths with all sorts of games and foods. In the distance, some rides were already in motion with people crying out happily on them. On her third sweep of the fair, Kagome's eyes widened. "Look over there. Is that what I think it is?" Kagome asked and immediately started towards the right. Danny wasn't sure what had caught her attention, but it must have been pretty-

"Wow! An entire booth dedicated to Danny Phantom?" Kagome mused as she looked over the booth. A few teenage girls were running the booth- each one wearing a black tee with Danny's famous "DP" insignia on the front. "They've got photos, plushies, and tee shirts," Kagome said as she smirked at Danny.

"Uh... No thanks," Danny replied as he stared at the million images and likenesses of him.

"Hi there!" a redheaded girl with a high ponytail greeted them. "Would you like to join the Phandom today? For today only, every new member also gets a free tee shirt."

Glancing down at the sign hanging from the table, Kagome grinned at the spelling of "Phandom". "What if I just want one of the Danny plushies?" Kagome asked.

"You can play our Ghost Fighter game. It's a dollar to play and if you can hit at least thirty bad ghosts in a minute, then you can win a plush and a signed, Danny photo," the girl said and showed them a picture of Danny Phantom poseing confidently.

"Is that really Danny's signature on the bottom?" Kagome asked with a grin as she leaned in close to observe.

"Totally! Our chapter President was able to get his signature so we just copy it onto all our pictures- with Danny's permission of course," the redhead assured.

" _Wow._ Danny's Phantom's signature. That's pretty special," Kagome said to Danny. Danny shot her an amused look, but didn't respond. "I'll definitely play. Can I have a tee shirt instead of a picture though?" Kagome asked as she placed a dollar on the counter.

"If you can hit thirty, bad ghosts, sure!"

Accepting the water gun, Kagome waited for the machine to start. With a few loud whirs and clanking noises, the timer began. It was relatively easy. These girls had done a good job of capturing the likeness of all of Danny's enemies and a few generic ghosts. Every once in a while, a cut out of Danny Phantom would pop up to trip her up. And after forty-six seconds, Kagome had reached her goal. "Way to go! Here's your tee shirt and you can take any Danny you want," the girl said and handed over the black tee.

"Thanks!" Kagome grinned and took down a medium-sized Danny. As the two started walking away from the booth, Kagome slipped her hand back into Danny's. "Now, I have two Dannys."

"I'm not sure how I feel about there being so many me's all over town," Danny commented with a slight frown.

"You should be happy. You're a teen heartthrob. You've got practically every girl in town tripping over their own, two feet," Kagome said and playfully bumped Danny's shoulder with her own.

" _Every_ girl?" Danny asked skeptically.

"Okay. So, Valerie doesn't like Phantom," Kagome replied.

' _What about you?'_ he wanted to ask. The question was literally at the tip of his tongue. All he had to do was say the words and then he'd know! He'd faced all kinds of evil-doing bad guys. He could do this... "What about you?" Danny asked. He did it! And he didn't even stutter once! Yes!

"Me? I wouldn't say that I'm tripping over my feet. Do you realize how impractical and dangerous it would be to date a superhero?" Kagome answered with a smirk. "But, he does have a nice butt."

Danny's face flamed. Not only was he no closer to figuring out how she really felt about him, but now he couldn't get her words out of his head! Did she really think his butt was nice or was she just messing with him?

"Hey... Isn't that Paulina and Dash over there?" Kagome asked and pointed ahead of them.

"Yeah. It does look like them," Danny agreed and slowed his pace. Two of his least favorite people together? If only he could go invisible right now...

"We can go somewhere else if you want. I don't care to hang around Dash. Besides, they're on a date and I don't think we should-" Kagome was saying while she diverted their path.

"Kagome! Over here!"

" _Dang it,"_ Kagome whispered before turning. Paulina was smiling brightly, but Kagome could see the strain in her smile. Paulina was definitely _not_ enjoying herself. Dash was none the wiser to Paulina's discomfort and silent screams for help, however. "Hey, Paulina. Are you having fun?"

 _Translation: I'm so sorry._

"Yeah. Dash just won me this stuffed zebra. It was the only animal missing from my "African safari" collection," Paulina replied with a smile.

 _Translation: Shoot me._

Kagome didn't understand why Paulina couldn't simply reject Dash and leave it at that. Then again, Dash was the only boy (aside from Danny Phantom) that Paulina had ever shown any interest in. And the Latina wasn't about to date someone she had _no_ interest in. For a social butterfly like Paulina, having limited options probably sucked. Kagome didn't completely get it, however. Having no options to her just meant that she'd be single. Being single wasn't the end of the world...

"Hey, Kagome. Nice Danny Phantom doll. Did Fenton win that for you?" Dash asked. The jock somehow managed to feign interest while still sounding insulting.

Kagome could already feel Danny tensing next to her so she squeezed his hand once. "No. I won it myself. I thought it'd be fun," she answered.

"Don't count on Fenton to be able to win anything here," Dash said with a loud laugh. Even Paulina smirked slightly at Dash's attempt at humor. At least Paulina had the decency to cover her smirk and turn away for Kagome's sake.

Kagome frowned when she felt the slight spike in Danny's ghostly energy. "Are you sure about that? I don't think so," Kagome replied. She was going to regret this later, but it had to be done. Looping her arm through Danny's, she rested her head onto his shoulder and said, "He might surprise you. Danny's really good with his hands."

If she wasn't dying of embarrassment inside, she might have laughed at Paulina and Dash's expressions. Both of them looked absolutely astonished at her words, but Kagome didn't falter. From the way Danny stiffened next to her, she was sure that he was just as surprised. Dash was the first to recover. " _Really?_ Then you wouldn't mind a little challenge. Huh, Fen- _ton,"_ Dash asked while leaning towards Danny challengingly.

Danny narrowed his eyes. "What are we? _Twelve_?"

Dash ignored him, however. "We can play that," Dash suggested and pointed over to the left. Everyone turned simultaneously to see what he was gesturing to. "Who ever can get the puck to go higher wins. I mean it's obvious who's gonna win. I'm having a harder time deciding what I want from you after I win," Dash said and lead the group over to the brightly colored, strongman game.

" _I'm so sorry I got you into this. You don't have to play his game,"_ Kagome whispered.

"Kagome, did you forget?" Danny asked with a smirk. " _Superhuman, ghost strength?"_

"You mean the strength that you're technically _not_ supposed to have?" Kagome replied with a raised brow. Danny frowned a bit. "Don't use too much strength. You don't have anything to prove."

Danny nodded once. It would have been nice to finally shut Dash up. But, it wasn't worth it. _He_ knew he could pummel Dash any time. But it _so_ wasn't worth explaining to everyone how wimpy Danny Fenton could easily bench press nearly two hundred pounds.

"You first, Fenton," Dash said and offered Danny the hammer. Taking the hammer away from Dash, he glared up at the blonde boy's condescending smirk. "Don't hurt yourself, Fentina."

"Knock it off, Dash," Kagome warned with a glare.

" _What?_ I'm concerned for him. Wouldn't want him to pull a muscle or something," Dash shrugged easily but still held a taunting smirk.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Danny swung the hammer. They all watched as the little puck flew up the column before stopping just short of the red bell at the top. "Better luck next time, kid," the operator said before starting to shout, "Step right up! Step right up!"

"Hand it over, Fenton," Dash commanded with a scoff. Danny felt tempted to shove the wooden hammer into the jock's chest with more force than necessary. Instead, he offered the mallet with a roll of his eyes. "Let me show you how it's done. Pay attention to a _real_ man, ladies."

Kagome rolled her eyes while Paulina checked her nails. Glancing at Danny's stoic expression from the corner of her eyes, Kagome gazed back at where Dash was getting ready to lift the hammer. Discretely, she waved her hand at the mallet just as Dash was attempting to swing it.

" _Agh!_ Damn it!" Dash shouted as he strained to lift the mallet. Once he struck the lever, everyone watched the puck rise by one foot.

"What's wrong?" Paulina asked with a raised brow.

"I don't know. It just got really heavy," Dash said while rubbing his shoulders soothingly. What the hell? He couldn't have pulled a muscle. The stupid hammer was no where _near_ that heavy before...

"Don't strain yourself, Dash," Kagome said while feigning concern.

"Seriously, Dash. You might pull a muscle or something," Danny inputted. Stifling a giggle, Kagome buried her face in Danny's shoulder.

Dash growled while narrowing his eyes at Danny. "I'm going again," Dash announced and gave the operator another dollar. This time, he made sure to bend his knees as he gripped the hammer tightly by its handle. With a look of utmost concentration, Dash hoisted the hammer over his head. Before he could swing his arms downward, Dash suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot. Once again losing his balance, Dash immediately released the hammer and gripped his injured foot in his hands. Unfortunately, gravity quickly brought the hammer down onto his uninjured foot. With both feet in searing pain, Dash hollered loudly before falling to the ground.

"I warned him," Danny said with a shrug.

"It was my _foot_ , Fen- _turd_!" Dash objected heatedly.

"Whatever you say, Dash," Danny smirked.

In between giggles, Kagome took Danny by the hand and said, "We're gonna go. See you guys later."

Dash wanted to object, but he was having a hard time deciding just what to say. He'd just lost in a test of strength to _Fenton_ of all people! He'd never thought he'd see the day. What rotten luck! What would Kagome think of him _now_? Everyone would probably be talking about how much weaker than Fenton he was by next week.

As they walked with no particular destination in mind, Kagome smirked at Danny. "I saw that, Fenton. I'm pretty sure that if you couldn't use your super strength, ghost rays were off-limits, too," Kagome said.

"What about you? I saw you using your magic on the hammer," Danny accused with a grin.

"Well then, I guess we're both cheaters," Kagome giggled. Danny chuckled once before taking Kagome's hand in his. A bright warmth erupted in his chest when she interlaced her fingers with his.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Awwwwwww... How sweet! Poor Dash though. He didn't stand a chance.

Don't forget to favorite and leave a review! ;D


	13. The First Step is Admittance

Moi-Moi: It's definitely been a while huh? I want to write. It's just that I've been really busy lately. But don't worry. Things will slow down soon and I'll be ready to write more.

~:~

The first step: admitting that you can't control this.

Kagome liked Danny. Danny Fenton- the first person she had made friends with in Amity Park and probably the closest friend she had that she hadn't known from childhood. She wasn't sure when these feelings had started developing or for how long she'd felt this way, but she did know that she liked him. Granted, while she didn't feel as strongly for him as she knew Sam did, she still _felt._ She'd come to the conclusion last night and in an attempt to clear her head, she was currently taking Aki for a walk.

She had just been laying in bed unable to fall asleep when the idea to go stargazing had crossed her mind. Naturally, if she was going to go stargazing, she had to invite Danny. No one knew more about stars and space than he did.

 **Hey. I can't sleep. Want to go stargazing?**

But it was a quarter after midnight. She hadn't expected him to be up when she texted. She was about to put her phone away when it had buzzed to life in her hand.

Danny: **ur roof or mine?**

She had immediately broken out in a grin. Climbing out of bed, she replied and grabbed one of her thicker blankets from her closet.

 **Urs I think. I'll bring a blanket.**

Danny had popped into her room a few minutes later with an eager smile on his face. She wasn't sure whether he was happy to stargaze or happy to stargaze with her. It didn't matter so much when she had recognized that she had a similar smile on her face.

Kagome hadn't realized her feelings until about ten minutes into their stargazing. Danny was in the middle of explaining what constellations were currently shining brightly above them and she had been listening avidly. But after a while, it became less about listening to his words and more about listening to his voice. When Danny had caught her staring at him (without even paying attention to what he was saying no less), he hadn't batted an eye. Usually, she had been the one to quietly disregard his interest. But this time, the tables had been turned. She'd hoped that he would have just pretended that he _hadn't_ caught her staring at his eyes, mouth and unruly hair as it blew in the breeze. Danny had surprised her when he'd smiled softly at her and taken her hand in his. And so, they had spent several more minutes like this- laying side by side with their hands clasped and eyes staring up at the skies (while still stealing glances at each other). She must have fallen asleep on him, because she woke up the next morning tucked under her own covers and the blanket folded and laying on the edge of her bed.

So, here she was- walking her dog while trying to decide what was the best way to transition from "just friends" to something more (or if she should _want_ to transition). Maybe she could ask him out? There was nothing wrong with the girl asking the boy. She was almost positive that Danny would say yes if she asked. It was such a simple idea, but it held serious repercussions. She had already promised Sam (several times) that she wasn't interested in Danny. And even though she and Sam weren't close, Kagome didn't feel right essentially stealing Danny away. It felt like such a slimy move. Would Sam hesitate to go out with Danny for her sake? Probably not. But Kagome wasn't Sam. For her conscience's sake, she would at least talk to Sam first. Yes. That sounded like a good plan.

Suddenly, the sound of her ringtone interrupted her train of thought. Taking her phone from her pocket, Kagome glanced at the Caller iD. Upon seeing Danny's name on her screen, she felt a mix of anxious worry and happy excitement. Suppressing a grin, she quickly accepted the call. "Danny? What's up?"

 _"Not much. I was just wondering if you're doing anything right now or later?"_

"I'm walking Aki now. But, I'm free afterwards. Why?"

 _"I was wondering if you would want to see a movie or something? You know? Like a date?"_

Kagome immediately stopped on the spot with her eyes widening slowly. She wasn't moving in the slightest, but her heart rate was quickly speeding up. "A date?"

 _"Uh, yeah. Like two people...getting together to...do an activity?"_ Danny clarified. He sounded unsure now. It was kind of cute.

She could almost picture him scratching the back of his head as he nervously paced. Somehow, knowing that he was just as nervous as she was was helping to calm her nerves. "Sure, Danny."

 _"R-really?"_

"Yeah. I mean not today. That's a bit too short notice but what about this weekend?" Kagome asked. Danny immediately started assuring her that anytime that she was ready was good with him. She giggled a bit at his excitement. Just as she was about to say something else, Kagome felt a chill go down her spine. Was that Danny? No, it didn't feel like his ghostly energy. She couldn't recognize this ghost. "Danny, did you sense any ghosts in town?"

 _"No. Why? Did you see one?"_

"I can sense one," Kagome said just as Aki started barking loudly at an alleyway.

 _"Where are you?"_ Danny asked with an urgent tone.

"Near the intersection of 6th and 7th," Kagome replied and watched the shadows warily.

 _"I'm on my way,"_ Danny said before promptly hanging up.

"What do you want?" Kagome called out to the ghosts. Unfortunately, these were the silent type of specter. Slowly, three neon green skeletons dressed in raggedy war attire from different eras in time stepped out from the shadows. Aki barked threateningly at them, but their gaze on her never wavered. When a medieval-looking skeleton notched an arrow, Kagome quickly ducked to the side. In her evading, she had let go of Ali's leash and he had immediately pounced on the skeletons. Before she could blink, the three skeletons were nothing but piles of dust. "They must have been really weak to be beaten so easily," she muttered. At the risk of sounding conceited, she couldn't help but expect more. Weak ghosts didn't normally threaten witches. Surely this wasn't the best that they could-

A low growling was coming from behind her. Standing quickly, Kagome spotted nearly twenty of the same skeletons making a half-circle around her. "Oh boy. Aki, run!" Kagome urged and turned tail to run down the alleyway.

This was not good. While she was confident in her ability to defend herself from these ghosts, she wasn't about to do it in the middle of the street! Danny was lucky to have an alter ego like a real superhero. But she didn't wear a mask! If anyone saw her doing magic, she and her family would become the next big thing for scientists to study.

Quickly turning a corner, Kagome froze when she spotted more of those skeleton ghosts blocking the path to the street. She glared harshly at them before saying, "I don't want to hurt ghosts. So, I'm giving you a chance to leave unharmed. But just know that I don't need magic to kick butt." The skeleton closest to her drew its sword.

~:~

Once he'd gotten close to town, his ghost sense had immediately gone off. Not only had it gone off, it was still going crazy! Nearly every other exhale was a breath of cold mist from his lips. He'd moved so quickly that he hadn't gotten a chance to text Sam and Tucker, but he was a little grateful for that slip-up. It was one thing to help him capture Skulker. It was another to help him fight a... skeleton army? Stopping to hover over the streets, Danny could see people screaming in terror as they ran the opposite way that the ghosts were marching. There were so many of them! "Where are they going?" Danny asked before the realization set in. ' _Kagome!'_

~:~

She was doing a decent job on her own. Well, she wasn't completely alone. Aki was totally kicking butt like the wonderful familiar that he was. But despite how many skeletons they wasted, there were still more of these things coming! She couldn't keep fighting each of them hand-to-hand, she'd tire out long before putting a dent in their numbers. She would have to try something else. Maybe she could call an army of her own?

"Kagome! Get down!"

Recognizing Danny's voice, Kagome quickly dropped to the ground and covered her head. She felt the whoosh of air over her head seconds before she heard the bones of the skeletons go clattering onto the floor. Cracking an eye open, she was relieved to see that most of the ghosts had been taken care of. "Are you okay?" Danny asked as soon as he landed before her.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save."

"You need to get out of here. This isn't safe-" Danny started.

"Look out!" Kagome shouted while pushing Danny to the side. Quickly grabbing one of the skeleton's discarded swords, she used it to block an incoming sword. "To be perfectly honest, I've never used a sword before," Kagome said through gritted teeth. She didn't have to struggle with the ghost for long, thankfully. Aki was quick to lock his teeth onto the skeleton's arm before vigorously shaking the bones apart.

"Thanks. I really don't think you should stay. This is way too dangerous for you," Danny explained.

Kagome raised a brow. "I think this would be too dangerous for _anyone._ But I'm not exactly helpless, Danny. Besides, I don't think running away from them will get them off my trail."

"Anything is better than you staying _here!"_ Danny argued as the ghosts started closing in on them.

"Well, I'm not leaving you to fight a small army on your own," Kagome fought back with a stern glare.

Danny wanted to argue further, but when he saw Kagome use her magic to effectively defend herself against two skeletons at the same time, he stopped. He'd never actually seen her use her magic to fight ghosts before. Dash was right. Kagome was the definition of a ninja, ghost hunter. With just a few spells (and Aki's quick reflexes), she was able to turn over ten ghosts into nothing more than a pile of bones and dust. Luckily, none of their skeleton "friends" had decided to attack him while he gawked at Kagome kicking some serious butt. His good luck had to run out eventually though...

"I've got you now, ghost!"

Glancing above him, Danny could see Valerie glaring down at him from within her huntress suit. She had a rather large bazooka pointed at him for good measure, but lowered it slightly when her eyes landed on Kagome. "What are _you_ doing here?" Valerie asked in a pointed tone.

Kagome shot Valerie an exasperated look before giving Danny a questioning one. What did it _look_ like she was doing? Knitting tea cozies!? Then again, she was probably the last person Valerie expected to be in the middle of a ghost fight. (Yes. Danny had told her _all_ about his history with Valerie. Personally, she didn't approve of dating your enemy, but to each his own).

Regaining her wits, Valerie quickly raised her bazooka and shouted, "Get away from her, ghost! Or _else!"_

Danny raised his hands in surrender and took two steps away from Kagome. "I'm not trying to hurt her. I swear," Danny reasoned despite knowing that this approach _never_ worked with Valerie.

"Like I believe _you_ ," Valerie snarled. Typical.

' _She really knows how to hold a grudge,'_ Kagome couldn't help but think. Danny was holding his hands up with his palms forward, but Valerie was still charging her bazooka. Danny would never use his powers on Valerie, but Kagome didn't quite share his feelings. With a quick and subtle wave of her hand, Valerie's jet-sled suddenly lurched before blasting off in another direction. Danny and Kagome watched as Valerie shouted indiscriminately and haphazardly flew away from the scene. "She'll be back soon so I suggest leaving the scene," Kagome offered.

Danny quickly reverted back to his human form with a smile. "After you," he said. Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Kagome led them out of the back alley and back onto the sidewalk. After reattaching Aki's leash to his collar, the two teens made their way towards their homes. "I can't believe that more ghosts were after you."

"It doesn't make sense. I thought that it was weird that they weren't even that powerful," Kagome mused.

"You think that they were like Walker's goons? That someone sent them?" Danny suggested.

"It's possible. But how many ghosts do you know who have an army at their disposal?"

"There's a few- especially the older and more powerful ghosts," Danny said with a frown.

"I still don't get what they'd want with me. No ghost wants anything to do with a witch, except for those weird half-ghosts who don't know any better," Kagome hinted with a smirk.

"I prefer to think of them as _accepting and open-minded,"_ Danny corrected. When he heard Kagome's light laughter, Danny couldn't help but give himself a small pat on the back. Would now be a good time to transition into what he _really_ wanted to talk about? "So... Were you serious about what you said earlier?" Danny started. He was staring ahead with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He looked almost casual if it weren't for the quick glances he was giving her out of the corner of his eyes and his slightly tensed posture.

"About what? The date?" Kagome asked. Honestly, she seemed much more at ease with the current topic of discussion than he was. Danny was on the verge of asking back his words from before at any instant while Kagome acted as if they were discussing the latest summer blockbuster. "I was completely serious. Why? Are you having second doubts?"

"Who? _Me?_ No! No way. I-I was just making sure that you were okay with everything," Danny explained.

Kagome barely reigned in a wide grin. "Relax, Danny. I'm okay with it. Just text me the details."

"Okay. Cool," Danny replied. So, he'd come up with something they could do together for their _date._ In the meantime, he needed answers and fast. If there was some powerful ghost after Kagome, he needed to put a stop to it before it got out of hand. He didn't have many allies left, but there had to be _someone_ willing to help.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Don't forget to favorite and review! Things are about to take off in the next chapter. And not just with the Danny/Kagome ship that's been stuck at the dock for a million chapters now... ;)


	14. Supernatural Love

Moi-Moi: Hey there guys. It's been a while. I know. Classes have been killer. But finals are next week, graduation a week after, and then I'm moving the week after that. So I _sound_ busy, but I think I should have more time in the upcoming weeks.

Anyways, this chapter goes a bit heavy on the romance so I hope you guys are ready for this. If you find yourself screaming, "Get back to the action!" don't worry. That's coming _really_ soon. Like, you have _noooo_ idea what I have planned (not just for this story, but the next one as well). It's all coming into focus now. ;)

~:~

This witch was a crafty one. Not only was she powerful, but she had the ghost child at her beck and call. He'd sent well over fifty ghosts to capture her, but not a single one had returned. If he wanted to capture her, he'd have to work smart. She must already be onto him...

The Fright Knight had never dueled a witch before and had never envisioned himself needing to. But if he was going to finish the task that he had assigned to himself, he would need to take precautions. His precautions came in the form of potent sedatives and magic-suppressing shackles. These shackles were extremely old and one of a kind. He'd procured them centuries ago, but hadn't had any use for them until now.

The iron shackles had been treated with the oils from a (now extinct) plant that was known to suppress a witch's magic. Once upon a time, it was the only way for a ghost to defend themself against a witch. Luckily, it had only grown in the ghost zone. But past witches were quick to wipe out all traces of the plant and all remaining hope any ghost might have had a long time ago.

Fright Knight placed his fully stocked saddle onto his Nightmare's back. If these didn't help him capture that witch, nothing would.

~:~

These were desperate times. That was the only reason Danny could rationalize going to Vlad (of all people!) for help. Vlad was the only one he knew with the means for gathering information and probably the only person left who would help him. Then again, maybe Clockwork would be willing to help? Danny scoffed. It was more likely that Clockwork would offer cryptic advice and smug looks.

Intangibly slipping past the concrete walls of Vlad's city hall office, Danny squared his shoulders and flew in front of Vlad. The older halfa was in the middle of a phone call and barely offered Danny a glance. Folding his arms impatiently, Danny glared down at Vlad.

"...Yes. I understand. But there simply aren't enough funds in the budget for-" Vlad argued into the phone. Apparently, not all the desperation in the world could increase Danny's patience with Vlad. Without any hesitation, Danny pressed down on the switch and ended the call. Sighing loudly, Vlad glanced up at Danny in annoyance. "I suppose the high school really doesn't need more funds for repairs anyway," Vlad commented.

"I'm here on business, Vlad."

"And what can I do for you, Daniel?"

"I... need your help," Danny reluctantly admitted.

Vlad instantly peeked up. A sly grin slowly slid onto his face as Vlad leaned back onto his plush chair. "Well, this is a surprise. And how can I help you, my boy?"

"It's not for me. It's for Kagome."

Vlad raised a brow. "Is there something wrong with Kagome?" Vlad asked with a serious expression. What could be wrong with Kagome?

"More and more ghosts are coming after her and I want to find out why. But I need your help," Danny explained.

" _My_ help?" Vlad parroted. It was rather curious. Daniel would never come to him for help. "Don't you have any allies?"

"I can't ask them. If I could, I would have. Trust me. You're my _last_ choice," Danny said. "No ghost would help me protect Kagome since she's a witch. No matter how much I try to explain to them that she's not some evil ghost hunter, they won't believe me."

"I'm not surprised. There is a fair amount of bad history between ghosts and witches, Daniel. That much bad history can't be erased so easily," Vlad explained. "Do you have any leads?"

"I'm not sure what the connection is. First, it was Skulker. Then, Walker sent his goons after her. Then, a skeleton army cornered her in an alley," Danny summarized. "I thought ghosts avoided witches."

"The weaker ones do. But, a strong or powerful ghost wouldn't feel the same amount of fear towards a witch. It could be that there is someone behind the scenes pulling the strings," Vlad mused. "Let me get in contact with Skulker. I'll see what I can dig up."

"I'll keep an eye on Kagome in the meantime," Danny said before quickly flying away. Despite being somewhat civil towards each other this time, Danny could spend only so much time in Vlad's presence.

~:~

Danny rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face as he listened to Jazz rant and rave. His phone was pressed between his cheek and his shoulder while he moved about his bedroom. Days later and he was still putting his room back together after his friends had turned it upside down. They'd helped him a little but he didn't _really_ need the help. Not when he could make duplicates of himself to make the work go faster. "Seriously, Jazz. You don't need to come home. Stay and finish your summer classes. I'll be fine," Danny assured.

" _You've been on vacation for less than two months and you've already been kidnapped, nearly killed, and fought a skeleton army, Danny. You need all the help you can get,"_ Jazz argued.

"Kagome is more than enough help. Trust me, Jazz. She's better at this than I was after a few months of fighting ghosts. Plus, Sam and Tucker are still here. I even have Kagome's mom and Vlad," Danny reasoned.

" _Since when do you look to Vlad for help?"_

"Since he's the only ghost who would help me keep Kagome safe. Besides, Vlad cares about her too."

" _Frostbite and Clockwork won't help? I thought they liked you."_

"They do. But Frostbite doesn't want to cause trouble for him and his people. I didn't ask Clockwork. I feel like he'd just give me a long-winded, life lesson," Danny said and rolled his eyes.

" _Probably. I can't believe that no one will believe you though. They won't even listen to reason!"_

"I don't think there's anything I can do about it. Or, at least, that's what everyone keeps telling me. I don't know. I'll just take things one step at a time," Danny said with a sigh.

" _I'm proud of you, little brother. You've really grown up. I know you can handle things, but it definitely makes me feel better that you have so many people helping you. I just wish that I could help keep mom and dad off your back."_

"Kagome's got that covered. When they don't see me, they just assume that I'm at her house. Can you believe it?"

" _Duh. You're_ always _with her. It's just like three years ago when we all thought that you and Sam would end up together because of how much time you spent with her."_

Danny balked. "Sam and I are just friends. And what do you mean everyone thought that we'd end up together?"

" _You're so clueless, Danny. Never mind. Just don't let another one get away. Okay, little brother? I've got to go, but I'll call you later."_

Danny frowned at his phone once he heard the resounding _click_ when Jazz had ended the call. It wasn't news to him that people had thought that he and Sam liked each other. But they were wrong! Maybe he had liked Sam a little bit, but... That was _three_ years ago. If they were meant to be, it would have happened already.

Nonetheless, he finally had a date with Kagome now. He hadn't been sure of his feelings for Sam, but he knew exactly where he stood with how he felt for Kagome. And for once, a girl he really liked actually liked him back! He could have a real relationship and not have to hide half of his life. He just had to try not to screw this up...

~:~

She was doing this for the both of them. It really was impractical to think that a relationship between a ghost and a witch could ever work out. There were just too many factors against them.

Kimiko squared her shoulders as she walked through the empty hallways of Vlad's mansion. She could never understand how he could live in such a quiet and empty home. Then again, Vlad usually spent more time in her home than his own. It was going to be rough going back to the way things used to be. But they would have to tough it out. Stopping in front of some cherrywood doors, Kimiko knocked twice.

" _Come in."_

Pushing the doors open, Kimiko stepped into Vlad's study and braced herself for what she was about to do.

" _Ah,_ Kimiko. What a pleasant surprise," Vlad greeted when he looked up from the papers on his desk. "What can I do for you, my dear?" he asked as he got up and walked around the wooden desk.

"Vlad, we need to talk," Kimiko started.

"What about?" Vlad asked with a curious smile.

"I'm just going to come out with it. Vlad, I'm breaking up with you," Kimiko said in a no nonsense tone.

"Really?" Vlad responded with a raised brow. With arms folded over his chest, Vlad leaned back onto his desk. "And why ever would you want to do that?"

"I can tell that you aren't taking me seriously, but I'm being quite serious Vlad. I don't think we are right for each other."

"And why is that? Because you're a witch and I'm half ghost? We're supernatural. I don't think that there is anyone better for me than you. And I know for a fact that I make you very happy," Vlad started. "I don't understand why you feel the need to have what we are define who we can be with. You are more than just a witch and I am more than just a ghost."

"But you can't deny that they are a large part of who we are. We can't avoid it," Kimiko argued. Why did he have to be so difficult!? He'd gotten out of this talk the last time she had brought it up, but she wasn't backing down this time.

Vlad rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Maybe not but quite frankly, I don't care. I may sound like a petulant adolescent, but I don't care what anyone else has to say. I am a selfish man who only wants the best out of life and I know for a _fact_ that there is no woman on this planet better for me than you."

"Not if being with me might get you killed," Kimiko responded with her arms folded angrily.

"Are you referring to what happened to Daniel?" Vlad asked and shook his head. "Even you know that Daniel is inexperienced. Honestly, he was captured by a woman in her sixties. Do you honestly believe that I would allow that to happen to me?"

"I'm trying to tell you. You don't have a choice in the matter. Just _listen_ to me, Vlad. Everyday, I get a bad feeling. Something terrible is coming. I don't know what it is and whenever I've tried to look ahead, all I see is a cloudy future of turmoil," Kimiko urged.

Vlad straightened out and unfolded his arms. "Kimiko, love, I think what you're feeling is comparable to how normal humans feel. Unlike us, they look to new experiences and the future with doubt and foreboding. But we're above all that."

"Why?" Kimiko asked and rolled her eyes. "Because we're _supernatural?"_

"No. Because I am completely confident that my future is a bright one. And it only looks that way because you and your children are in it. I would do anything to secure that future for me- for us. If I had to give up my ghost half, I would," Vlad stressed. He'd always been a passionate man and he had no problems with expressing his emotions. Of course his only other experience with confessing his love had ended with Maddie hating him for years, but still. This was different. What he felt now was different. This love was liberating and real. There was no hiding who he really was. He could be himself with this extraordinary woman.

Kimiko was speechless. After a few seconds of shaking her head in disbelief, she asked, "Would you _really_?"

"In a heartbeat. That is, unless you had reservations about being with a normal mortal," Vlad replied with a smirk.

"Nope. None," Kimiko replied. "I'm not sure how I could bring a normal person into my crazy world. Just the other day, Judai spent his afternoon changing Aki into a variety of different animals for fun."

"Be happy that you never have to. You'll have me forever," Vlad said as he walked around his desk and started rummaging through one of the drawers. "That is..." he started as he grabbed something and returned to her. "If you'll still have me."

She wanted him, but she didn't want anyone to get hurt. She wanted to believe in Vlad's vision of the future, but her own visions were still haunting her. How could she jump wholeheartedly into this love story with such a bad feeling hanging over her head? Or maybe she was just scared of being left alone again? But if she gave up on Vlad now, she'd be alone for sure...

"I would never hurt you, Kimiko," Vlad started. Was he reading her mind? "I would never _dream_ of hurting you or leaving you. As of right now, I can see that there's only one way that I can prove it to you," Vlad said as he lowered onto one knee. Kimiko's eyes widened.

~:~

Kagome slipped her white, knit cap onto her head before smiling brightly. She's picked out a cute sweater and dark skinny jeans for her second date with Danny. He hadn't told her where they were going, choosing instead to stress that she dress warmly. Maybe he was flying them somewhere cold? Or was he going to use his ice powers to make it snow in summer!? While giggling to herself, Kagome reached for her purse. "This is what happens when you date a half-ghost," she said to herself.

"What happens?"

With a small gasp escaping her, Kagome quickly turned around to see Danny Phantom floating in her room. Smiling softly, Kagome shrugged once and said, "I was just thinking of all the possibilities for a date with a boy with ghost powers."

"Not to disappoint you," Danny started and changed back into his human half. "But I'm just plain old Danny Fenton tonight."

"I don't think there's been anything "plain" about Danny Fenton for years," Kagome said with a giggle. Spotting the thermos in his hand, she asked, "Are we ghost hunting in Alaska?"

"Nope," Danny said with a bright grin while leading her out of the room. "Plain old Danny Fenton carries a regular thermos with regular hot chocolate. There's no ghost hunting tonight," Danny announced proudly. He knew that he couldn't promise that, but he would be darned if he didn't try his best to have a normal, ghost-free date.

~:~

Her anticipation was building. Once they'd gotten into town, Danny had insisted that he blindfold her to maintain the surprise. So, with Danny as her eyes, they walked the empty streets towards their destination. "Are we going to the park?" Kagome guessed.

"Nope," Danny answered cheekily.

"The movies?"

"Definitely not. Going to the movies as a date is pretty cliché. Don't you think? Give me a little more credit than that."

Kagome giggled brightly. "I'm sorry. How could I? Where else could we be going where I need to dress warm? You didn't use your ice powers to make it snow in the summer. Right?"

"What ice powers? I'm just a normal teenager," Danny replied cheekily. Seriously, why hadn't he thought of that? That would have been an awesome idea. Oh well. Next time. That is, if there _is_ a next time.

"Okay. We're here," Kagome heard him say before she felt the blindfold be pulled away. Eagerly, she opened her eyes and looked around. "The ice skating rink? I thought they closed after six," Kagome said and looked around at the deserted rink. She turned to Danny in question to see him offering her a pair of white skates.

"They do, but this is the best time to skate- when there's no one else to share the rink with. Come on," Danny encouraged and led her towards some benches. Okay. So maybe he used his powers a _little_ to get them inside, but it was only for a second!

"Danny, this is really sweet, but I've never ice skated before," Kagome explained hesitantly.

"That's okay. I've done it tons of times. I'll show you how," Danny said and finished lacing up his skates. "Sit down and I'll help you get your skates on."

Kagome watched Danny take off her ankle boots one at a time before slipping on the skates. A tiny smile was threatening to take over as she watched Danny work with his hands on ankles and calves. She still wasn't sure what caused it, but she couldn't help but see Danny differently. She _noticed_ things now. Like how long his fingers felt whenever he held her hand or how pink his lips _always_ looked or how you could see a sliver of skin on his abdomen when he stretched and his shirt lifted a little (ghost fighting was _definitely_ better on the body than anything other boys were doing). Shaking her head out a bit, she removed her feet from his lap once he had finished. Oh boy. This was going to be a task. Hopefully, she wouldn't end up making a complete fool of herself on the ice.

"Ready?" Danny asked and stood. He offered her his hands with an easy smile. "Stand slowly and try to keep your balance. I'll help you onto the ice."

Honestly, Kagome wasn't as bad as she made it seem. While they weren't going very fast around the rink, she was definitely picking up on the skill faster than he had expected. It had taken forever for Tucker to learn how to skate and even then he was only average at best. But it wasn't long before Danny could let go of one of her hands and start to skate at her side. Once in a while, she would slip a little but he was always quick to catch her. Of course, he always held her close to him afterwards for extra support.

The first time he fell was a complete accident. He could have avoided it altogether, but he had been distracted! Kagome had started laughing happily and captured his attention. Then, he'd noticed how red her cheeks were just as he'd gotten a glimpse of that movie-star smile. He'd lost his footing and ended up pulling them both down onto the ice like the major clutz that he was. But Kagome had only laughed some more and asked if he was okay.

Once they had decided to take a break from the ice, Danny brought out his thermos and two, paper cups that he'd snagged from a water bubbler. "Who taught you how to skate?" Kagome asked as she and Danny sipped their hot chocolate beside the rink.

"Jazz did. While my parents were busy fighting over whether or not Santa existed, Jazz tried to take my mind off it all," Danny explained. "It worked for a while."

"Does it bother you that they still fight over Santa?"

"Not anymore. I got over it years ago. Besides, these past few Christmases haven't been so bad," Danny said with a shrug.

"What made you want to go ice skating with me? Dinner and a movie would have been fine you know," Kagome said with a sly grin.

"It would have been fine, but we've seen plenty of movies and had dinner together plenty of times. It was a lot harder than you would think to find something that we haven't already done together," Danny answered.

Kagome was about to answer him when the sound of a door opening and shutting loudly stopped her.

" _Why are all these lights on? Who's out there!?"_

Both teens froze before exchanging wide-eyed gazes. Danny quickly took her by the hand before turning them both invisible. Seconds later, an elderly man in a janitor's outfit walked out and looked around suspiciously. Still invisible, they got up slowly and attempted to walk around him. "Probably some stupid kids..." the janitor muttered with a deep frown.

Once they were safely outside the ice rink, they both started laughing loudly. "That was close!" Kagome exclaimed in between her laughter.

"Tell me about it," Danny said and changed into his ghostly persona. "We should get out of here," Danny suggested and offered his gloved hand. With her hand in his, the two quickly flew away from the scene. Despite the date being cut short, both teens were filled with a satisfied feeling and the sense of being lighter than air.

~:~

Kagome turned down her bed while humming happily to herself. ' _Best date EVER,'_ she thought as she sighed once with a smile.

Danny had dropped her off half an hour ago. She'd come home to an empty house since Judai was over at a friend's house and her mother had yet to get back from Vlad's. Coming home to an empty house did wonders for her confidence. She was able to share a goodnight kiss with Danny and not have to worry about teasing from her little brother or mother.

Just before she slipped into bed, Kagome left the room in search of Aki. It looked like it was going to be just the two of them tonight. She didn't want to leave him outside by himself. Plus, she felt a bit paranoid about sleeping alone. At least if Aki were in the room with her, she'd have some protection. "Aki? Where are you? It's time for bed," Kagome called out as she poked her head into Judai and Kimiko's rooms. She didn't find Aki in the living room either and when she called down into the basement, she got no reply. Stepping out into the backyard, Kagome frowned and looked around. "Aki?" she called out when she saw him laying on the grass. With a shake of her head, she walked over to him. "Aki, wake up. Come inside and let's go to bed."

When Aki didn't wake, she crouched by his head. Shaking him slightly, Kagome frowned at his unresponsiveness. Aki was definitely breathing, but he wasn't waking up. Just like that, everything felt wrong. Standing slowly, Kagome glanced around warily and wrapped her arms around herself. She'd be safer inside. Quickly stooping down to pick up her dog, she was about to pull him to her when she felt the presence of a ghost. Springing up, Kagome came face to face with a fanged, black horse. It's neon green, flaming mane and black armor shone in the pale moonlight.

Suddenly, the horse neighed loudly and stretched out a pair of veiny, black bat-like wings as it stood on its hind legs. "I'm not afraid of some demon horse," Kagome promised and narrowed her gaze. She knew where her mother kept her wards and potions. She just had to get back inside!

" _There's no escape, thy fate is mine."_

Kagome froze when she felt a chill go up her spine at the same time that a gloved hand clamp over her mouth. Before she could summon up any of her magic to defend herself, she felt a painful prick in her neck.

 _"To serve the true king 'til the end of time."_

She barely heard the deep voice's last words before a thick fog enveloped her senses.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Was it glaringly obvious that I'm not a poet and that I suck at ice skating? Honestly, I tried both and they're just not for me. I fell every time I got on the ice and it takes _forever_ for me to figure out how to write or understand poetry. Anyways, don't forget to comment and vote for this chapter! ;)


	15. Putting Together the Pieces

The sun was shining brighter than usual when Danny woke up the next morning. Rolling over onto his back with a low moan, Danny smiled and opened his baby blue eyes to the world. Flashes of last night resurfaced in his mind and Danny couldn't hold back some soft chuckles. He still couldn't believe it...

Glancing over at his cell that rested on his bedside table, Danny reached for it and quickly checked it for any messages. He was only slightly disappointed to not see any texts from Kagome. Maybe she was still sleeping? But it was after nine. She was usually up as soon as the sun rose. Should he text her then? But what if he came off clingy?

Before Danny could start to pull out his own hair, his phone started chiming loudly and Tucker's name flashed on his screen. Sitting up quickly, Danny accepted the call. "Hey, Tuck. What's up?"

" _Dude! Thank God you're up for once. I've been dying to call you all morning! How'd it go last night?"_

Danny chuckled as he rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "It... was nice."

 _"...Nice? Just_ nice? _Dude! You have to give me details! How am I supposed to live vicariously through you if you don't!?"_

Laughing with a shake of his head, Danny tried again. "I took her to the skating rink after it closed up. I was a little worried when she said that she'd never skated before, but she was pretty quick to pick up on it. I mean, she still had to hold onto me the whole time," Danny started.

" _You sly dog. I've been thinking too small. I need to try that one."_

"I was about to text her when you called."

" _Danny! Have I taught you nothing!? You're supposed to wait a few days before calling so you don't seem too desperate."_

"Because you're _such_ an expert," Danny replied with a roll of his eyes. Getting up from his bed, Danny walked over to his window before looking out from it. Across the street, Kagome's windows were covered by her white curtains. A small smile crept onto his face.

 _"I don't like to brag, but I've had my fair share of dates. Just trust me on this one, dude. Take the day to give her time to reflect and process. You see, the way to keep a girl interested is to seem unattached and semi-uninterested. Chicks love the chase almost as much as we do. They just act like they don't,"_ Tucker advised.

"I bow to your wisdom, sensei," Danny replied with a chuckle.

 _"Just come over to my place today. I got some new mods on GTA. We can play 'till our fingers fall off. I guarantee that Kagome'll be texting you by lunch,"_ Tucker said in a confident tone.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'll come over, but I'm still texting her."

 _"Your choice. But don't say I didn't warn you."_

"I'll see you in a few, Tuck," Danny said and ended the call. With a good natured roll of his eyes, Danny pulled up his text log with Kagome before sending a quick message.

 **Morning. I had a great time last night. We should definitely do it again.**

~:~

Kimiko blinked her eyes open slowly before eyeing the sheets around her in suspicion. Her sheets were definitely _not_ silk nor this shade of deep purple. Sitting up slowly, Kimiko held the sheet to her naked chest while looking around the empty bedroom. Her cheeks colored slightly when last night's events came back to her. Idly, she glanced down at her left hand. Yep. It really happened. Vlad _proposed_. Not only did he propose, but he did it with the largest, princess cut diamond that Kimiko had ever seen! The added weight on her had was definitely a foreign feeling. How does one confront their partner with intentions to break up and end up engaged to said partner instead?

In the middle of staring down at the ring, the bedroom door creaked open and a shirtless Vlad strode in. Noticing the tray in his arms and the delicious smell that was quickly filling the room, Kimiko smiled.

"Delivery for the future Mrs. Masters," Vlad said and rested the tray of scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, and coffee on her lap.

"What if I want to keep my last name?" Kimiko asked with a raised brow.

"Whatever makes you happiest, my dear," Vlad replied and took her hand in his.

"While I appreciate breakfast in bed, I really shouldn't stay. I feel terrible for leaving Kagome home alone all night. Plus, I was really hoping to have some girl talk over breakfast. Last night was pretty special," Kimiko hinted.

"Yes. I couldn't agree more," Vlad grinned and kissed the knuckles of her hand.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Not _that._ I'm talking about her date with Danny. She was _so_ excited. She'll probably have a million and one things to-"

"Kagome went out with Daniel?" Vlad questioned.

Kimiko shook her head with a small smile. "Don't give me that look."

"Whatlook?"

"That overprotective dad look," Kimiko explained and pointed at his face.

Vlad purses his lips before nodding once in acknowledgment. "But, you have to agree that Kagome is such a bright, well-mannered girl with boat-loads of potential. Personally, I don't think that there's a single boy in this town who's deserving of her."

"But you have to admit that Danny comes pretty close," Kimiko replied with a small smile. "He's kind, responsible, incredibly mature for his age-"

"But Daniel is still _just_ a boy," Vlad pointed out.

"And Kagome is _just_ a girl. Have you already forgotten what it was like to be seventeen? _No one_ knew what they were doing, Vlad," Kimiko said with a chuckle and cut off a piece of her French toast.

"At least Judai isn't looking at girls."

"Not yet. But he's almost fourteen. I'm lucky he lasted this long with the crazy idea that girls are _lame_. I've gotten a little impatient waiting for him to come around after meeting a girl that's _kind of, sort of cool_ ," Kimiko said with a laugh.

"Dear God. Is _that_ how the youth court each other nowadays?" Vlad remarked with an astonished look.

Just as Kimiko took a sip of her coffee, her eyes caught sight of that monster of an engagement ring on her finger. Really, she wasn't surprised that Vlad went above and beyond for a ring. The man thrived on being able to flash his wealth. Personally, she would have been happy with anything that he had put some thought into. Holding her hand out in front of her, Kimiko tilted her head to the side as she observed the diamond and silver band.

"Do you really like it?"

Looking up at Vlad, Kimiko paused. He looked so _nervous_ and a bit unsure. He was such a delicate soul. All he had ever wanted was companionship- someone to share his life with and a family of his own. She couldn't ask for a better lover. Smiling softly, Kimiko replied, "It reminds me of you- larger than life and reeking of money and power."

Vlad sighed happily. "It's _astounding_ how well you understand me, my dear."

Kimiko laughed again before slowly sobering up. With a slightly worried expression, she asked, "How am I going to tell the kids? I'm sure Kagome will take it well enough. I think she will have seen it coming. But Judai... I can only imagine his meltdown."

"I disagree. Judai and I have grown quite a bit closer recently. We go golfing every weekend," Vlad proclaimed proudly.

"Vlad? Honey, I'm only saying this because I love you, but Judai hates golfing. He only goes because I asked him to spend some time with you," Kimiko explained. Vlad's eyes widened in shock as he sputtered unintelligibly for several seconds. "But this is good. You can find something else to do together so that you both enjoy yourself."

"I suppose you're right..."

"Of course I am," Kimiko dismissed. "I'm just worried about his reaction to all of this."

Vlad smiled softly before placing a soothing hand on Kimiko's cheek. "We'll tell them

together."

~:~

After an extended stay in bed that resulted in the morning and first half of the afternoon just _flying_ by, Kimiko and Vlad made their way towards her modest home in the back of his limo. Kimiko had attempted to get her thoughts right and decide what she would say to the kids, but Vlad's roaming hands were very _distracting_ to say the least.

When the limo rolled to a stop, Kimiko was quick to push Vlad off of her while moving to sit up straight. The last thing she needed was for his chauffeur to find them in another compromising position. Vlad didn't even have the decency to look ashamed when it had happened the last time! He had looked more proud than anything. Once her door had been opened, Kimiko stepped out while thanking the chauffeur. Gazing up at her home, Kimiko couldn't help but feel a little _off._ Was that Aki barking so loudly?

After unlocking the front door, Kimiko was surprised to see Aki barking loudly at her before rushing into the kitchen and continuing to bark there. "Aki? Calm down. That's enough noise now," Kimiko chided and glanced around the home.

"What's wrong with him?" Vlad asked when he entered.

"No idea," Kimiko replied and followed Aki into the kitchen. The dog was barking at the back door while growling menacingly. Kimiko sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Aki. You're a good boy for defending the house but you didn't have to bark so loudly."

"Who left the door open?" Vlad questioned as he watched Kimiko shut and lock the door.

"Probably Judai. That boy is always rushing out of here. I'm tired of reminding him to close the door properly when he leaves," Kimiko said with a shake of her head.

Vlad nodded in acceptance before turning to leave the room. While he was gone, Kimiko went about preparing some tea. When she heard Aki's low whines, Kimiko glanced over at the dog. "Aki! No! Stop scratching the door!" Kimiko shouted when she spotted Aki clawing at the door. "If you want to go outside, you don't have to scratch the door. You know better," Kimiko said and opened the door for Aki. Instead of rushing out into the backyard like she had expected, Aki just stared up at her expectantly. "Well? Go on. I don't think you need me to hold your hand."

Reappearing in the kitchen, Vlad announced, "Neither of the children are home."

"Judai probably went back out. I'll call him to tell him come home early. Kagome is probably across the street," Kimiko explained and went back to the kettle she had on the stove.

"She's at the Fenton's? Without supervision?"

"Jack and Maddie are always home, Vlad," Kimiko answered with a roll of her eyes.

"In their lab which is located in the _basement._ Daniel's room is on the _second floor,"_ Vlad stressed.

"You're overreacting. Kagome's responsible and so is Danny. Besides, it took them a year to go out on a real date. I don't think they're rushing into _anything_ ," Kimiko dismissed and poured the water into some tea cups. When Aki tugged on the back of her pants leg with his teeth, Kimiko accidentally spilled some hot water on the counter. "Aki! Stop that! What's gotten into you?"

Vlad and Kimiko watched Aki whine lowly before dashing out into the backyard. Just as they were about to follow the canine into the yard, they heard the front door open and shut loudly. " _Mom! I'm home!"_

"We're in the kitchen, sweetheart!" Kimiko shouted back.

When he appeared in the kitchen doorway with his skateboard tucked under his arm and his unfastened helmet on his head, Judai glanced between Kimiko and Vlad. Aki started barking and howling from outside. "What's with Aki?"

"I have no idea. He was barking up a storm when we got in. Which reminds me," Kimiko started and rounded on her youngest son. "Judai, I've told you countless times to make sure that you shut the door behind you after you leave."

"What are you talking about? I closed the door," Judai said and pointed behind him to where the front door was located.

"Not _that_ door. The back door. It was wide open when I got home. Aki was practically having a panic attack."

"I left through the front door yesterday, Mom," Judai replied.

"What about today?"

"This is the first time I'm getting home! See? I still have my backpack from yesterday and everything!" Judai exclaimed and turned around so she could see the pack full of clothes on his back. "Geez. Maybe Kagome left it open when she went to go play tonsil hockey with Danny. Did you ask her?" Judai replied with a teasing smirk.

" _Tonsil hockey?"_ Vlad repeated with a look of disgust. Judai nearly rolled over in laughter at the expression on the older man's face.

Kimiko rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I'm calling your sister. I have something to tell you both," Kimiko said and pulled out her cellphone.

Judai exchanged glances with Vlad. The old man kept up a good mask, however. Narrowing his gaze suspiciously, Judai set his bag and board down before taking off his helmet. "About what?"

"Kagome didn't answer. That's weird. She always answers her phone," Kimiko said and tried again.

"I _told_ you, Mom. She's with _Danny._ She's too _busy_ to answer the phone," Judai said with an amused roll of his eyes.

"I _highly_ doubt that," Vlad interjected with narrowed eyes.

"Geez. What era are you living in, Vlad?" Judai remarked with a scoff.

Kimiko exhaled loudly and slipped her phone back into her pocket. When Aki started barking again, Kimiko cursed softly in Japanese. "Aki!" she shouted and walked out into the backyard. Once she had stepped onto the grass, a feeling of ill unease swept through her and Aki immediately quieted.

"Is everything alright?" Vlad asked when he followed her out. He watched Kimiko look around the yard suspiciously while Aki sniffed at the ground.

"Mom?" Judai questioned curiously.

"Judai, when did Kagome say that she was coming home?" Kimiko asked as she followed Aki around the yard.

"She was supposed to be home last night. I haven't talked to her since yesterday. Just call Danny," Judai suggested.

"Do that. Go next door and see if your sister is there," Kimiko ordered without looking up from the grass.

Vlad watched the boy leave after a few seconds before he stepped out to join Kimiko. "Kimiko, what are you looking for?"

"Something feels off out here, Vlad. I don't know if it's paranoia or motherly instinct, but I'm getting a bad feeling," Kimiko said and glanced over at where Aki was intently sniffing the ground. Walking over to the dog, Kimiko's eyes narrowed at the sight of four, hoof-prints that were burned into the lawn. A flaming cow?

"You think something happened to Kagome?" Vlad guessed with a serious expression.

"Something happened last night. Can you go up to her room and see if you find anything? I'll try calling her again," Kimiko said. She watched Vlad change into his ghost half before flying up to the second floor of the home. She quickly called Kagome's cell again and held the phone up to her ear. Several seconds later, Vlad returned with Kagome's pink phone ringing in his hand. In that second, Kimiko's blood ran cold. "Now I'm convinced that something's wrong. She never forgets her phone. It's practically attached to her hip."

"Mom!" Judai shouted when he ran out into the yard. "She's not there. Neither is Danny. But his parents said he was with his friend Tucker today."

Kimiko frowned deeply. "Okay. Judai, take Aki and search the neighborhood for any sign of her. Vlad, find Danny and see if he knows where she is. I'm getting my spell book," Kimiko commanded.

~:~

"Oh... _Oh!..._ OH! _Yes_! First place!" Tucker exclaimed loudly as he jumped up from his seat. Danny groaned loudly before letting the controller clatter from his hand. "Can you _believe_ that!?"

"You only won cause I _let_ you win, Tuck," Danny said and took a sip from his soda.

"That's a complete load and you know it," Tuck replied with a roll of his eyes. "But, hey. Come on. Best three out of five?"

"No thanks. How 'bout we play a different game?" Danny suggested. He was in the middle of looking through Tucker's collection of games when his ghost sense went off. Danny didn't have enough time to change into his ghost form before a gloved hand was gripping his throat and pinning him against the wall.

"Danny!" Tucker shouted in surprise.

Cracking an eye open, Danny came face-to-face with an irate Vlad Plasmius. Growling lowly, Danny said, "Plasmius. What do _you-"_

"I haven't come for pleasantries, Daniel. I've only come to see whether or not you've been with Kagome today," Vlad interrupted.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Danny smartly replied.

Fangs bared, Vlad clenched his hand to leave bruises around the boys throat. "I don't have time for _games,_ Daniel. Where is she?"

Changing into his own ghost half, Danny was quick to push Vlad back with a two eye blasts of ecto-rays.

"Dude, can you not fight in my room? I kinda want to keep my stuff from getting destroyed," Tucker inputted as he retrieved his stash of ghost hunting equipment.

"I didn't come for a fight, but I will if I must. But one way or another, you will tell me what you've done with her, Daniel," Vlad promised while menacingly squaring his shoulders.

"I haven't done anything! I haven't seen her all day," Danny responded heatedly.

Immediately, Vlad deflated. "You haven't seen her?"

"No! I texted her this morning, but she never replied," Danny admitted.

Blinking owlishly, Vlad quickly pulled Kagome's phone from his pocket. He quickly checked the messages and saw all the proof he needed. Daniel was telling the truth...

"Hey. Wait a minute. That's _Kagome's_ phone. Why do _you_ have her phone!?" Danny accused while pointing a finger.

Vlad ignored him, however. Instead, he used his own phone to quickly call Kimiko. "Kimiko? I just spoke to Daniel. He hasn't seen her."

Danny balked in confusion before exchanging glances with Tucker. Tucker shrugged once before turning back to Vlad. Danny frowned deeply while glancing down at Kagome's phone.

"...Alright. I'm coming back now. Don't worry. We'll find her," Vlad said and tucked away his phone.

"Wait. Vlad,what's going on?" Danny asked.

"I can't stay to chat, Daniel. But if you see or hear from Kagome, you must call me or Kimiko immediately," Vlad stressed while pointing an authoritative finger at Danny's nose.

"Wait. She's _missing?_ How can she be missing? Where is she!?" Danny shouted.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "If I knew where she was, she wouldn't be _missing_ now would she? _Ugh._ I don't have time for this," Vlad dismissed before quickly flying through the roof.

"Hey! Get _back_ here!" Danny shouted after him and quickly took off in pursuit. As he watched Danny chase Vlad, Tucker pulled out his phone and sent a text to Sam.

 **Something's up with Kagome. Following Danny to her house now.**

~:~

Kimiko tried her hardest to find Kagome's energy. With the amount of effort she was putting in, she should be able to detect Kagome's presence anywhere in the county. And yet, nothing. It was frustrating. Judai hadn't been able to find any sign of her and Danny hadn't seen her. Where could she be? Kimiko rubbed her hands along her face with a deep sigh.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll find her," Judai said and rubbed a hand along his mother's back. Kimiko didn't respond. Her only daughter was missing and she had no idea where to begin looking for her. It couldn't have been a normal burglar. Kagome was more than capable of defending herself. What if it was another ghost? Those burned hoof-prints would make sense then...

"Kimiko! Have you heard anything?" Vlad asked as he suddenly dropped into the kitchen from the roof.

Before she could answer, Danny flew in with an urgent expression. "What happened to Kagome?"

"She's missing. She left her phone upstairs and the back door open," Kimiko explained. "Danny, when was the last time you saw Kagome?"

"Last night. I dropped her off around eleven. I stayed with her for like an hour, but then I left and she went to bed," Danny admitted. Of course he had been with her in her room for that hour, but that was irrelevant right now.

Kimiko sighed and stared down at her feet. When she felt Vlad wrap his arms around her in a comforting embrace, she gratefully leaned into him. "I can't find her. I tried every locator spell that I know and I can't find her."

"Well, what does that mean?" Danny asked fearfully.

"She's too far away for mom to find her," Judai answered. She was just too far away. Even if she was...not alive... they'd be able to find her (if she was close enough).

"Should we call the police? If this is a kidnapping, they would be able to help find her," Kimiko asked as tears started to gather in her eyes.

"She's not... kidnapped. Maybe she's just cloaking herself? Like I did when I ran away," Judai offered hopefully. His sister wasn't kidnapped. She couldn't be!

"I'm calling the police," Kimiko said and grabbed the landline.

Danny frowned down at the tiles. Kagome wouldn't run off and it was hard to believe that anyone could get the drop of her. Walking over to the back door, Danny kneeled down to inspect the lock. It didn't look like anyone had broken in. So... Either Kagome left on her own _or_ someone got in without using the door. "Kimiko, would you know if any ghosts got in the house last night?" Danny asked. Slowly, everyone straightened as they exchanged serious looks.

"Ginger snaps! It's so obvious!" Vlad growled.

"Where would a ghost take Kagome?" Judai asked with a shrug. "Witches are totally forbidden in the ghost zone so it has to be somewhere in the mortal realm."

"I'm not ruling anything out," Kimiko said. "If it was a ghost, the police wouldn't be able to do much to help, but the extra eyes would be helpful. Vlad, you're in charge of the police. Danny, head to the Ghost Zone. You have more allies there. I know it would be a long stretch, but do whatever you have to to find my baby."

"I'm on it," Danny said and took off.

"We'll find her," Vlad said and pulled out his cell to make a few calls.

"Judai, help me get in contact with friends and family so that they can keep an eye out. We'll need as many witches as possible on alert," Kimiko commanded.

~:~

Moi-Moi: I didn't do a very good job of describing the engagement ring. I know. But if you need a better picture, I was basing it on (and by that I mean stealing) the design off of Beyoncé's engagement ring. Not just the design- the price tag too. ;)

Don't forget to review!


	16. Long Live the King

Consciousness came back to her slowly. Her neck was killing her and her cheek felt numb. Blinking her eyes open slowly, Kagome got an eyeful of dusty, stone floors. When she tried to push herself into a sitting position, her hands wouldn't move from their position behind her back. Okay. Try something else. Rolling over onto her back slowly, Kagome took in the vaulted stone ceilings, old cobweb-covered chandeliers and haunting, green hue of the place. Where was she?

Her neck was sore, her jaw was feeling a little stiff and she felt completely uneasy with her surroundings. Ghostly energy was all around her. It was almost suffocating how many ghosts there were! Where was this place? Some sort of haunted castle?

"I see you have awoken, witch."

Glancing over to her left, Kagome watched a flaming man stride towards her slowly. He had a green sword drawn, a flaming, purple cape billowing in the nonexistent wind, and purple flames around his grey helmet. He was wearing some sort of fitted, black bodysuit to show off every one of his muscles (did full ghosts even have muscles?) with a grey, wrapped skirt, gloves, boots and shoulder guards. She couldn't see his face- only two, bright neon green eyes that seemed to peer into the depths of her soul. She tried to scoot away from him, but he was quick to point his sword at her face.

"Resistance is futile, witch. I have gone through a fair bit of trouble to bring you to the king's domain," he spoke.

"I don't know who your king is. But, you can tell him to bite me!" Kagome shouted and attempted to draw on her magic. Eyes widening, she tried to glance behind her. It wasn't working! Trying again and getting the same results, Kagome nearly cursed. What was happening to her? Was it the haunted castle? No. Being around ghosts always drew out her magic. So what-

"The arrogance of youth. Or perhaps this be the arrogance of a witch?" the man questioned.

"Who are you? Where are we and why did you bring me here?" Kagome asked with a fierce glare. Okay. No magic. That's not good. She could still fight, but not with her hands chained behind her back. And this guy had a _sword._ This was not looking good. If she could keep him talking, then maybe she could think of a way out?

"I am the Fright Knight. Bringer of darkness and fear! The spirit of Halloween! And servant to the _true_ king, Pariah Dark," Fright Knight said in a loud, grandiose voice. Geez. He was probably the type of bad guy who liked to monologue. "I have brought you, witch, to my king's domain. So that you may free him from his forever sleep and that he may reign once again over the ghost zone and all its inhabitants!"

"I'm in the ghost zone?" Kagome asked and looked around. She'd heard about the ghost zone from Danny and her grandmother, but she never thought that she'd actually see it.

"Yes, witch. I have committed a traitorous crime by bringing you into our domain, but my king will surely pardon me once he sees that it twas I who freed him," Fright Knight said and sheathed his sword.

" _Oh?_ And what if he doesn't? I mean, what ghost would be happy to see a witch?" Kagome reasoned skeptically.

"The ghost child seems rather fond of you," Fright Knight pointed out smugly. Kagome's cheeks flamed. "Nonetheless, it is time for you to payest your dues, witch. You will use your magic to free my king," the Fright Knight said and pulled Kagome up onto her feet.

"What makes you think that I would help you?" Kagome fought back. She didn't know a lot about Pariah Dark. Danny had mentioned once that he had fought the Ghost King and won, but it was years ago and he'd nearly lost his life in the process. As _if_ she'd let him out on purpose!

"I do not believe that you have much of a choice, witch," Fright Knight promised and lead her away.

Okay. It was a petty thing to get angry over, but she couldn't help but be annoyed that he was only referring to her as "witch". "My _name_ is Kagome. _Not_ "witch"," Kagome argued as she fought against him.

"I do not care! In this castle, under this banner, you are _my_ prisoner and you shall do as you are told!" Fright Knight commanded and hoisted Kagome over his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down! You medieval Neanderthal! Let me _go_!"

Despte wriggling like mad from within his hold, Kagome was getting nowhere fast. Okay. Time for a new plan. What could she do with her hands chained behind her back and no magic to help her? Why couldn't she use her magic anyways? Was it the surroundings? Who knew what being in the ghost zone would do to her magic?

When the Fright Knight stopped in front of a large pair of doors, she bent at the side to look behind her. Once the doors were opened, she could see a large room that was bare of any decor. There was only a large, green staircase with a colorful sarcophagus at the top. Oh boy. It probably wouldn't do much, but she would try it anyways. "Help! Help me!"

"There is no one to aid you now."

Where was Danny Phantom when you needed him?

~:~

The ghost zone was completely empty. And not like it had been the last time he'd seen it. This time, there wasn't a soul to be found- no pun intended. Had they all really run away or were they just hiding? That didn't matter right now. All that mattered was finding Kagome. And Danny didn't have a lot of time to do it in. He needed help _now_ and there was only one ghost who could help him. Hopefully, he'd still be home.

Stopping above Clockwork's clocktower, Danny nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Nearly. He still had to make sure Clockwork was here. Flying through the walls of the floating tower, Danny looked around the silent domain. The only sounds he could hear were his footsteps along the ground and his heart pounding in his ears. "Clockwork!? Are you here? I need you help!" Danny shouted. When he received no response, Danny cursed softly under his breath.

Coming into the main room of the clocktower, Danny looked around again to no avail. There was no sign of Clockwork anywhere. He couldn't have runoff too! Could he? Clockwork never seemed scared of anything- not even Danny's future self from that alternate reality. Speaking of _him,_ Danny's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the familiar Fenton Thermos innocently resting on the room. It was carelessly rolled onto the floor, dents and bumps all over its surface. Geez. Wasn't Clockwork taking good care of it?

"You rang?"

Jumping up, Danny turned quickly to spot Clockwork gliding into the room. "Clockwork! You're still here! Listen, I need your help," Danny started.

"Let me guess. To find the witch," Clockwork replied as he smoothly bent over to reach the thermos that had fallen again. He placed it back onto the table again before gliding away.

Danny's wary gaze fell on the thermos. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that it almost looked like _his_ face was imprinted on the metal. Shaking himself out roughly to clear his thoughts, Danny went on. "Yes. You know where she is?"

He knew everything. But Clockwork didn't say this aloud. While carelessly turning the dial on his staff, Clockwork spoke evenly, "It was easy to determine that she arrived about the time when the screaming and panic started."

"What?"

"I'm guessing you noticed the lack of neighbors."

"You've never had neighbors," Danny pointed out smartly. It wasn't a lie that most ghosts found Clockwork's mannerisms and personality a bit insufferable. No one liked a know-it-all. But that was besides the point! "Where is she Clockwork?"

Clockwork gazed evenly down at Danny as he shifted from middle-aged to old to young and back. The urgent look in the teen's eyes was undeniable. Perhaps there would be no time for a lesson today? Gliding over to the swirling portal in the room, Clockwork rested his hand on the face.

Danny quickly moved in closer to inspect what Clockwork was showing him. It was Kagome! But this was last night... Danny watched Kagome walk out into her backyard before being grabbed from behind by- "The _Fright Knight!? He's_ the one who's been after Kagome!? But why? T-that doesn't make any sense," Danny argued.

"Perhaps not now, but soon it will," Clockwork hinted and gestures his head to the swirling image of Pariah Dark's castle in the middle of the portal.

"Thanks, Clockwork. I gotta go," Danny said before turning to fly off.

"I want to meet her," Clockwork quickly interrupted. Danny paused to shoot a curious look back at Clockwork. "Whether it be in the future or the past is completely up to you."

As cryptic as ever. "Uh... Sure. I gotta save her first. Thanks again, Clockwork!" Danny exclaimed and took off. Clockwork watched him go before the sound of metal clattering to the floor captured his attention. The thermos had fallen again.

~:~

Okay. This was not what she signed up for. Kagome looked up at the large sarcophagus in front of her before turning back to glance warily at the Fright Knight. "What am I supposed to do?" Kagome asked.

Comically, the Fright Knight's green eyes widened. "Don't you know?" he asked with a surprised tone.

Kagome nearly rolled her eyes. "Obviously not. I don't even know where to begin," Kagome scoffed.

"Do not play games! It was a witch who crafted the sarcophagus so a witch should be able to open it!"

"Yeah! Except I have no idea how it was made! Why don't you go find the witch who made it!?" Kagome shouted back. Honestly, it wasn't the best idea to anger her ghostly captor, but she was losing her patience!

"That witch has long since left the world of the living so the task falls to you," Fright Knight said and unsheathed his sword. Pointing its blade at her, he continued, "I suggest that you make haste. I will show no mercy to a witch."

"Don't you think you should take the chains off first? I can't do magic with my hands behind my back. I'm not _that_ skilled," Kagome scoffed and rolled her eyes for added effect. It was a total lie. But if she could get her hands free, she could probably distract the ghost and make a run for it.

Fright Knight narrowed his gaze. This witch was a crafty one. He had to remain on guard. "You think you are clever, witch? I know to keep at least a shackle on you. You won't be using your magic on me," Fright Knight scoffed and released her right hand.

Instantly, Kagome felt a small surge in her magic. Staring down at her hand in surprise, she glanced at the shackles. What kind of shackles were these? They could block her magic!? How could she get them off!?

"Enough stalling! Perform your spell at once! Or else," Fright Knight threatened.

She would only get one shot at this. Fright Knight hadn't used a key to unlock her shackle so there had to be some special way to do it. If she could just get away... Taking a deep breath, Kagome raised her hands before the sarcophagus. She swore that she could hear the Fright Knight inhale sharply behind her. ' _Here goes nothing.'_ Quickly praying that this worked, Kagome swung her shackled arm out with as much force as she could. The loose shackle struck the Fright Knight over his head and left him groaning in pain. ' _Gotta get out of here!'_

Fright Knight held his head in one hand and his sword in the other. The witch was escaping! Growling lowly, he reached out to grab the girl by the back of her shirt before pulling her to him. He held his sword to her neck as a warning. Gripping her free hand carefully, he pressed it to the lock on the front of the sarcophagus. When nothing happened, he tried again.

That was anticlimactic. Kagome nearly rolled her eyes as she sighed and looked away. Having her hand pressed against the cool sarcophagus starting to feel more annoying than anything. "Why. Isn't. It. Working!?" she heard the Fright Knight ask, her hand touching the wood after every word. "Can I _go_ now?" Kagome rudely asked. There was no point in staying. She couldn't get the thing open. This was pointless!

There was one more thing he could try. Turning the witch to face him, Fright Knight put away his sword in favor of a small blade that he kept hidden in his boot. The witch watched him fearfully and suspiciously. She had every reason to. This was going to be painful. Preparing for the backlash, Fright Knight quickly slashed the blade along the palm of her free hand. Ignoring her pained cries, he stuck the bloody blade into the lock on the sarcophagus. A witch's blood was magical. He couldn't force her to use the magic she held within her, but he could certainly borrow a bit of it.

"You psychopath!" Kagome shouted as she clenched her hand shut. The wide gash was stinging and her hand was dripping blood onto the floor. She was about to chew him out some more (and maybe vaporize him with her magic), but she stopped when the sarcophagus rattled. Taking a cautionary step back, Kagome watched the lock on the sarcophagus quickly rust over and disintegrate. The bloody knife fell from the lock as the wood of sarcophagus started to blacken. The wood splintered loudly as the entire thing violently shook and wobbled.

" _Who dares to awaken me!?"_

It was such a stereotypical thing to shout, but it did its job. The deep, booming voice startled and terrified the daylights out of her! Eyes wide, Kagome turned and ran for her life.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Don't forget to review!


	17. Reign Storm II

Moi-Moi: Guess who's done with undergrad? THIS GIRLLLLL! My days are literally so free, I don't know what to do with myself. Oh, wait. I know. *smirks*

A bit of forewarning, I decided to add my own head canon in this chapter. It was an idea that I had ages ago and I'm really excited to bring it to life. Anyways, I hope it's not too much of a stretch for you guys to believe (especially not in _this_ Danny Phantom universe).

Anyways, I'll stop talking now so you guys can read. Enjoy!

~:~

How long had he slumbered this time? Glancing around the room, Pariah could spot no obvious changes to his castle. His one-eyed gaze narrowed when he spotted his loyal servant wrestling with a struggling, young woman. "Fright Knight! Why have you brought this maiden into my domain?" Pariah asked in his booming tone. Standing tall with his shoulders squared, he glared down at his subordinate. Immediately, the Fright Knight dropped to his knees. Now that was more like it. Sliding his gaze onto the girl, he waited for her to do the same.

Instead of kneeling at his feet, the young woman watched him warily. She looked to be steadying herself for a fight. Did she mean to fight him? Pariah couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. "What is your name, child?"

"Kagome Takahashi," the girl spat.

"Fright Knight?" Pariah called, subtly asking the knight to explain.

"In your absence, my liege, I remained loyal to you. I did everything in my power to awaken you at a great, personal risk. I retrieved your crown from the possession of Plasmius without his knowledge. I know that it is forbidden, but I brought this witch into your domain so that I could free you," Fright Knight explained and pulled the flaming crown from seemingly nowhere.

Kagome raised a brow. Just a minute ago, the Fright Knight spoke like a man in charge. But now, he sounded so submissive and meek. Pariah Dark must be a bigger deal than she thought. And what did he mean by "retrieving the crown from Plasmius"?

"A witch?" Pariah asked, surprise lighting up his uncovered eye. "Is it true, child? Magic flows through you? Yes... I can sense it. A negligible amount, but it is there."

Kagome raised a brow in skepticism. If only he knew how strong she really was... "You know I'm a witch and you don't seem scared," Kagome pointed out.

"I have no reason to fear you, child. Your minuscule power may frighten a lesser ghost, but not I," Pariah Dark explained. "Fright Knight, it is time to begin anew. Time to finish what I had started last time I awoke."

"Yes, my liege. We will lay siege to the human world!" Fright Knight replied in a subservient tone and flew up to place the crown on his king's head.

" _We?_ It is _my_ rule. You are but a tool for me to control my subjects," Pariah corrected in a dangerous tone. Once he felt the familiar surge of limitless power that went along with having his prized possessions in hand, Pariah released a loud roar.

Covering her ears, Kagome stared up at Pariah fearfully. She'd never felt ghostly energy _this_ intense before. She could literally feel the weight of Pariah's power on her shoulders. Like a tumulus ocean, her magic began to bubble up in response- her built in defense mechanism.

"What should I do with the witch, sire?"

Oh no...

Kagome looked up at Pariah Dark silently. She stood absolutely still as he narrowed his gaze at her with a pensive look on his face. "She shall remain here as my servant," Pariah declared. Kagome's jaw dropped. "She may be weak, but I know better than to pass up a rare opportunity when it presents itself."

"My liege?" Fright Knight asked.

"Do not question me! Ready my men! It is time to take that mortal world," Pariah declared in a resolute and loud voice. Fright Knight quickly dashed from the room, the doors slamming loudly behind him. Pariah growled lowly as he stomped about his throne room.

"What do you want with me?"

Pariah raised a brow before bending down to pick up his dusty throne from where it was overturned. Glancing at the witch, he decided to humor her. "You will remain here to serve me, witch. My power is already limitless. My rule over this ghost zone is indisputable. However, I have learned from past mistakes.

"Today's ghosts are unruly and bull-headed. I plan to remind the newcomers that this is _my_ domain. There is nowhere that they can hide that is not under my rule- not the Ghost Zone and not the mortal world. That is where you come in, witch. In exchange for allowing you to live, you will lend me your power to strike fear in the hearts of ghosts and living men alike."

Kagome stared up at Pariah with a dubious expression. "You seem to be forgetting the fact that magic is basically ghost kryptonite," Kagome pointed out smartly. She held her hands behind her back and out of view. She was doing her best to try to squeeze her hand through the shackle without making noise. It hurt like hell, but it was her only chance. Halfway there...

Pariah didn't quite understand her terminology. Kryptonite? Whatever. He had more important things to busy himself with. "You are terribly misinformed, witch. If there is any ghost that can handle a witch's magic, it is I," Pariah bragged.

It was his dirty little secret. His crown and ring were actually witch-made. Centuries ago, he'd managed to ally himself with a rogue witch. He had convinced her to craft him his ring and crown in exchange for his protection from her coven. She'd been one in a million- a witch who rejected the ideals instilled in her at birth and was willing to kill to make herself stronger. She'd been the perfect pawn. After establishing his rule, there was no ghost or witch who could challenge him. Unfortunately, he'd let the power go to his head. He had turned his back on the witch and chosen to rule alone. But hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Just as she had crafted his ring and crown, that termagant created the sarcophagus that would trap him for centuries. Glancing over at this new witch, Pariah fixed a dangerous, distrustful gaze onto her.

"Well, that's some plan you have there. You're really banking on how powerful you think you are. But I know quite a few people more powerful than you'll ever be," Kagome stalled. With a final tug, her throbbing hand was freed.

"Oh?" Pariah asked with a hearty laugh. "Surely, you don't mean the ghost child. I am not afraid of an inexperienced whelp. Even without your magic, my powers are more than enough to-"

Not wasting any more time, Kagome turned and dashed out of the room as quickly as she could. Pariah was huge. He'd be able to catch up to her easily. She needed to hide until she could make it out of here without attracting attention.

" _You will pay for your insolence, witch!"_

" _Crap!"_ Kagome whispered harshly before quickly ducking into an empty room.

~:~

Danny was almost there. He could see the fleck of red in the distance that was Pariah's Keep. Was he being incredibly stupid to risk coming here alone? He'd had the Ecto-Skeleton and tons of help from the other ghosts last time. He was all alone this time. But! He was a lot stronger this time! He had more experience and control over his powers. Besides, he couldn't leave Kagome alone. He had to save her! The Fright Knight was _his_ enemy, not hers. She was probably in this mess because of him...

When Danny had gotten about a mile out from the isolated island, he quickly came to a stop. His eyes widened as he stared down at the large, skeleton army that was gathered in front of the castle. " _Woah._ Deja vu," Danny muttered as he stared down at the unmoving skeletons.

"So you decided to show your face, ghost child?" the Fright Knight said as he swooped in close to Danny while on horseback.

"Fright Knight! Where's Kagome!? What did you do with her!?" Danny asked as he collected his ghostly energy in his hands.

"The witch now lives to serve the true king. Anyone who opposes his rule shall feel the sting of my blade," Fright Knight said and unsheathed his sword.

"Pariah? But he's asleep..." Danny trailed off as he glanced down warily at the castle. Suddenly, Danny jumped slightly when a large, red ray of ecto-energy blasted through the front gate of the castle just as a loud roar could be heard. Eyes widened fearfully, Danny flew towards the castle at top speed. If anything had happened to her, he'd never forgive himself! "Ka-!" Danny attempted to shout out just as he felt someone collide harshly with him. Tumbling to the ground, Danny groaned lowly. What the heck was that?

"D-Danny?"

Just like that, Danny disregarded his throbbing forehead and sat up. "Kagome! You're okay!" he shouted and crawled over to her.

"Relatively speaking. You're a ghost. Why is your head so hard?" Kagome groaned and rubbed her stomach. She hadn't expected Danny to barrel into her like that while she had been trying to escape. She was sure that she'd have a bruise on her ribs in no time at all.

"What happened to your hands?" Danny asked and reached for her hands tentatively. Her right palm was slashed open and bleeding profusely while her other hand was bruised and scraped in multiple places.

Kagome was about to answer him when she heard Pariah's heavy footsteps approach. "There's no time! We have to get out of here!" Kagome shouted and leapt to her feet. She tugged on Danny's arm insistently, only wincing slightly at the pain in her hands.

Danny slowly got to his feet just seconds before he heard Pariah's voice. A chill went down his spine. " _There_ you are, girl! You can not escape my rule."

"Men! Fight for your king! Retrieve the witch from the ghost child!" Fright Knight shouted and pointed his Soul Shredder at Danny.

Danny stuck an arm out in front of Kagome, his eyes moving quickly between the Fright Knight, the growling skeleton army, and the glaring Pariah Dark. "I won't let them touch you. Stay behind me and cover your ears," Danny warned.

"Danny-" Kagome started but stopped when she saw him inhale deeply. Ducking down to the ground, she covered her ears tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Even with her hands clasped over her ears, she could still hear and feel Danny's Ghostly Wail. She could feel the vibrations rocking the island and the immense ghostly energy he was releasing. For a second, it felt almost as powerful as Pariah Dark.

Pariah covered his ears as he glared down at the ghost child. He didn't have this power the _last_ time they had fought! Perhaps the child was stronger? That didn't bode well.

As soon as his lungs ran out of air, Danny grabbed Kagome's arm and took to the skies. Thanks to his Ghostly Wail, he was definitely slower than he'd like to be. With immense focus, Danny kept his gaze trained on the direction of the Fenton Portal. "Danny! Look out!" he heard Kagome shout from his arms. He felt the harsh sting of an ecto-ray on his back seconds later and quickly lost the ability to remain airborne. He could hear and feel the wind whipping past them as they fell. Despite the paralyzing pain in his back, Danny kept a tight hold on Kagome. He had to do something quick before-

" _Hanatus!"_ Kagome shouted and waved her hand at the ground below them. Just before they could hit the ground, the largest pile of colorful flowers that she had ever seen magically appeared out of thin air. When they landed on the pile of flowers, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"Flowers?"

"It was the first spell I could think of. At least it worked," Kagome replied.

Danny sat up before looking over to see the skeleton army closing in with the Fright Knight overhead and Pariah Dark behind it. "Aw _crud_. This isn't going to be fun," Danny groaned.

Kagome glanced at the oncoming threat before sighing. "What do you think? I take the 500,000 on the right and you take the 500,000 on the left? We can flip a coin over who gets the Knight and the big guy," Kagome said and started to use a healing spell on her hands and ribs.

"You're joking, right? You need to get out of here. This is too dangerous for you," Danny said.

"I don't know if you realize this Danny, there's no way I can just run now. I can't fly. I _will_ get caught. Besides, I'm not about to leave you to fight an army alone. You need my help," Kagome pointed out and started to climb down from the cushiony flower pile.

Danny reached out for her quickly in order to pull her back, but his fingers only met flowers. He followed behind her while shouting her name. When he had made it out of the pile he spotted Kagome slashing at several ghosts with a brightly colored, flower sword. Charging his hands with ecto-energy, he made quick work of the skeletons that surrounded her. Once she turned back to look at him in surprise, he frowned at her. "For the record, I still think you should get out of here!" Danny shouted. He watched her reach a glowing hand up before making a tight fist. Hearing an explosion behind him, Danny turned to see a large pile of neon green dust and bones.

"If I leave you, who's going to watch your back?" Kagome replied smartly. Eyeing the pile of flowers, Kagome got an idea. With glowing hands, she reshaped the pile of flowers into a makeshift giant. " _Animez!"_ she shouted just as the crudely formed, flower giants gave a stir. It's bright, red eyes glanced down at Kagome in confusion. "Well don't just stand there! Get them!" Kagome ordered and pointed to the skeleton army. Just like that, the flower monster roared to life and began to wildly tear into the army.

Danny blinked owlishly at the sight before him looking back at Kagome. "Okay. You can stay. Just... leave Pariah to me," Danny said before flying off towards the ghost king without waiting for her agreement.

"Witch!"

Turning away from where Danny had flown off, Kagome came face-to-face with the Fright Knight. She watched him descend from his horse with his sword drawn. "You shall rue this day, witch," Fright Knight threatened.

"If you're still alive after this, I promise you won't forget my name again," Kagome promised. When the Fright drew his blade, she raised hers to defend. Okay. Slight miscalculation on her part. The Fright Knight was definitely stronger than she was. But there was nothing wrong with a bit of magical help... With magically enhanced strength, Kagome quickly overpowered the Knight. "What's wrong, Fright Knight? Can't beat a girl?"

"I do not need tricks to be victorious, girl. I shall defeat you with only my skills," Fright Knight said before head butting Kagome and knocking her backward.

"That's not skill! That's dirty fighting," Kagome grumbled and wiped at the gash under her eye. Stupid Fright Knight and his stupid spiky helmet... Losing her patience, Kagome raised a glowing hand.

~:~

Danny stopped in front of Pariah Dark with a fierce glare. Pariah stood tall with his mace in hand and his everlasting frown on his face. "Alright, stoneface. I guessing you remember how this song and dance goes?" Danny started.

"I must say that I am impressed, child. You've gotten stronger and allied yourself with a witch? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery," Pariah started. Danny raised a brow. What the heck did that mean? "But there can be only _one_ king!" Pariah shouted and swung his mace.

Being much smaller than the weapon in question, Danny was able to easily dodge the swing before firing an ecto-ray at Pariah's good eye. The ghost king shouted in pain as he clutched his face and staggered backward. Danny attempted to take advantage of the distraction by freezing Pariah over. "You think this will stop me, child?" Pariah asked in a chilling voice.

"Uh...yeah. Kinda," Danny replied smartly.

With a loud shout, Pariah broke free from the ice around his legs before shooting off a red ecto-ray at where he had heard Danny's voice come from. Blast that child! He was blinded. But not useless. "Seize him!" Pariah shouted to anyone who could hear him. When he heard the ghost child's surprised exclamation, Pariah tossed his mace in that direction. The sound of the mace making contact and the boy's groan of pain was extremely satisfying. Pariah recalled his mace into his right hand with a smirk.

Danny glared up at Pariah from where he laid on the ground. He was surrounded on all sides by skeleton soldiers with their weapons pointed at him. Glaring harshly, Danny drew a neon green shield around himself. Before he could attack, he heard Kagome shout. Looking up, he spotted her riding on the shoulder of her flower giant. He could only compare her to some kind of warrior princess riding into battle. It was probably the coolest thing he had ever seen. "Al- _right_!" Danny cheered and sprang up from the ground. With a large grin, Danny blasted skeleton after skeleton while the flower giant went about stomping on the quickly fleeing ghosts.

Pariah growled lowly. He was finally able to blink his eye open, but his vision was blurry at best. He _could_ see that his army was retreating! Where was the Fright Knight!? " _Enough!"_ Pariah shouted and blasted ecto-rays wildly at the colorful, blurry mass.

Kagome gasped as she watched Pariah's blast rip holes into her flower creature before setting it aflame. She cursed softly while looking for a way down. Hearing Danny shout her name, she turned to see him flying towards her. With outstretched arms, she latched onto him and allowed him to fly her out of harm's way. "Dang it. I guess it's just you, me, and the big guy now," Kagome said.

"Any ideas?" Danny asked.

"The sarcophagus is trashed so we can't seal him away again. I don't suppose you brought a Fenton thermos big enough for him," Kagome answered as Danny set her down onto her feet.

"I don't think my parents make them in Pariah-size," Danny replied.

"It is time to put an end to our bout, child," Pariah growled. His army had fled, his first in command was nowhere to be found, and he was losing what little patience he had.

"We have to get the crown away from him. It's easier than grabbing the ring. I think I can beat him when he's weakened," Danny whispered to Kagome.

"I've got an idea. It's totally crazy and could get us both killed," Kagome said.

"That's...not comforting. But, I'm listening," Danny said.

"I need you to distract him first. Then, keep him busy and be ready for my signal," Kagome said.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Danny muttered and flew up towards Pariah's face. "Hey, is it just me or are you, like, the _worst_ king _ever?_ But hey, don't take my word for it. Just ask any of your subjects."

"You will _all_ bow to me!" Pariah shouted. Danny dodged Pariah's mace as he watched Kagome run into the castle behind Pariah. What was she planning?

"No, I mean it. But don't take it too hard, dude. Some people just aren't meant to rule," Danny said as he flew evasively.

"You _dare_ to mock me!?"

~:~

Kagome felt like her throat and chest were on fire as she ran up the billionth flight of stairs she had come across in this castle. Of course, ghosts didn't care about stairs. They all could just fly through floors and ceilings. "Finally," she breathed when she made it to the top of the castle. Dashing over to an open window, Kagome transfigured her flower sword into a gun. She'd shot an ecto-gun a couple of times. She could do this. "Yeah. I got this. No big deal," she said to herself as she pointed the makeshift gun at Pariah's crown. After saying a quick plea for this to work, Kagome shouted, "Now, Danny!" and fired a bullet of magic and flower petals at the crown.

Danny looked up quickly to see the crown get knocked off Pariah's head before sailing through the air. Faster than a jet, Danny took off after the crown. With a deep stretch of his arm, his fingers nabbed the flaming crown. "I got it!" Danny shouted just before he felt the familiar sting of Pariah's mace on his back. He let out a pained cry as the force from the mace sent him crashing roughly into the ground. He was sure that he saw neon green ectoplasm leaking from his side just before he blacked out.

"Danny!" Kagome shouted fearfully. Normally, she wasn't a reckless person. She was usually very good under stress- always logical and cool-headed. But after seeing Danny crash to the ground like that... And he wasn't getting up! With hot tears gathering at the back of her eyes, Kagome charged up her hands again before leaping wildly for Pariah. When her hands latched onto Pariah's unruly, green hair, he shouted loudly in pain. With hot tears gathering, Kagome held on tightly.

Pariah twitched and shook as he felt the witch's magic coursing through him like hot electricity that was slowly frying his every nerve. He could feel her in his hair tugging and yanking on the strands. With a low growl, he grabbed her and pulled her from his hair. "You will _pay_ for that, girl," Pariah promised and glared down at her.

"You and what army? Without your crown and ring, you're nothing," Kagome spat angrily. She could feel said ring pressing into her skin. The metal was cold and she could feel the energy coursing through it. It was a strange feeling. It almost felt like magic. But that couldn't be right. This had to be a ghost artifact. Right? As the seconds went by, she was starting to doubt that. Kagome could feel the magical power moving through the metal from where it was pressed into her side. The magic was corrupted with ghostly energy, but it was still magic! Wriggling her hand so that she could touch the ring, Kagome started whispering a magic transfer spell. Of all the things her grandmother had taught her, this was proving to be the most beneficial.

~:~

Danny groaned as he blinked his eyes open. What happened? Where was he? He tried to push himself from the ground but he was unable to move. Straining to look behind him, Danny spotted Pariah's mace pinning him to the ground. It all came back to him in a rush. "Oh _no._ Kagome!" Danny shouted and struggled against the mace. He felt a sharp pain in his side before feeling a slick wetness in the area. That didn't matter now! He had to get out of here! Suddenly, it hit him. " _Duh._ In the Ghost Zone, humans are the ghosts," he whispered before shifting back to his human form. He slipped out from under the mace relatively easily enough, only wincing a bit at the pain in his side. Glancing down, Danny spotted the red and neon green stain on his shirt. That mace had grazed his side and left a gash in his side.

" _My ring!_ What did you do, witch!?"

Hearing Pariah's shout, Danny quickly turned. With a gasp, Danny shifted back into his ghost form. "Kagome!" he shouted while clipping the Crown of Fire to his belt and taking off. Firing off another blast at Pariah's eye, Danny swooped in closer when Pariah suddenly dropped Kagome in order to cover his aching face.

Kagome screamed and flailed wildly as she fell just before she felt a familiar grip under her knees and behind her back. With wide eyes, she looked at Danny in surprise. "Never...do that again," Kagome warned.

Once he had her far enough away, he set her down again. "You should know me better than that. I wouldn't let you fall," Danny said with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes good-naturedly before snatching the crown from his belt. "I know what to do," she said before gripping the crown tightly.

Danny watched as the fire on the crown slowly diminished until it was completely put out. The crown itself began to glow slightly just before cracking down the middle and disappearing into nothing. "What'd you do?"

"They're made with magic. So, I took away his majesty's power sources. Now, he's like every other ghost," Kagome smirked. She could feel the hum of the magic in her hands elevating her powers. She'd never felt so powerful and (surprisingly) still in control.

"You think this is the end, girl? I am still all powerful! Even without my crown and ring, I am king. It is high time you learned that lesson," Pariah growled.

There was nowhere to seal him up after this. And honestly, she didn't want to seal him away. Crazed, power-hungry beings like this weren't the type to lock away. You had to get rid of them once and for all. She never thought she'd be considering using this spell, but... Sticking an arm out in front of Danny, Kagome said, "Get down and stay behind me."

"What?" Danny asked as he watched Kagome stand in front of him and use her magic to bowl Pariah over.

" _Zah Pet Par Veet Eezol Ehmit Pro Kleh Et Tee."_

Danny didn't need to hear Pariah's shouts of pain or see his violent writhing movements to know that the spell Kagome was using was painful. He could feel its effects just fine. It was almost as if the magic alone was overflowing and affecting him as well. With haggard movements, Danny stepped back. After a few seconds, it became too much to bear and he fell to his knees. He watched as Pariah started to actually dissolve into a puddle of ectoplasm!

 _"Once his physical form reverts into ectoplasm, it won't be long before his core and consciousness are gone."_

 _"No! NOOO!"_ Pariah shouted just before the last of his body melted away.

Danny stared up at Kagome's slumped form in astonishment. He was about to say something to her, but the words died on his tongue when he watched her slump over and fall forward. "Kagome!" he shouted before quickly rushing over to her. Once at her side, he turned her over onto her back and placed a hand on her cheek. He patted her face a few times to rouse her. When he heard her tell tale groan, he let out a relieved breath. "Are you okay?"

Blinking her eyes open, Kagome gazed up at Danny's dirty and weary face. She smiled weakly. "Good work, partner. I think we did a pretty good job."

Danny chuckled once. "Let's go home."

~:~

Moi-Moi: Stay tuned for the final chapter! It's time to put a bow on this one and get ready for the third and final installment! I'm so excited!


	18. Clockwork's Warning

Moi-Moi: We did it! We made it to the end! It's time to celebrate! WHOO! :D

~:~

It was after nine when he'd gotten a text from Kwan. Dash couldn't believe what he'd read. As he pulled up in front of Kagome's house, he parked his car next to the curb and got out. There were two cop cars parked out front with their blue lights illuminating the streets. Pushing through the crowd of people surrounding the house, Dash quickly found Kwan at the front with Paulina and Star. "Hey, man. You weren't joking. Do you know what happened?" Dash asked as he approached Kwan.

"I heard from Kagome's mom that she's missing. No one's seen her for almost a day," Paulina informed.

"And no one can find Fenton either," Kwan pointed out.

"You don't think he did something freaky and hurt her with his parents' ghost hunting stuff?" Star asked with a worried expression.

"Who? Fenton? No way. Kagome could easily kick Fenton's ass. He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on her," Dash proclaimed with certainty.

"What do you think happened to her?" Kwan asked no one in particular.

"Maybe it was a ghost?" Dash asked.

From where she stood a little way's away from her former friends, Valerie perked up. A ghost? Valerie's eyes slid over to where Vlad Masters was talking to a police officer. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Valerie had known for years that Vlad Masters was a ghost, but she had yet to expose him. The man was still funding her ghost hunting. No sense looking a gift horse in the mouth. She was just waiting for the right mommy to take him down. But if there was a ghost involved, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out.

Sam sighed as she paced next to Tucker. The African-American boy was sitting on the steps of the Takahashi home and staring down at his cell phone. Not a text or call from Danny yet. He wouldn't have spent so long in the ghost zone unless he found something. Sam glanced down at the dark screen in Tucker's hand before continuing in her pacing. ' _Danny, you better be okay,'_ Sam worried.

Maddie did her best not to show just how worried she was, but she was sure that she was failing. When she felt Jack squeeze her hand reassuringly, she sighed once. "It'll be alright Mads."

"We shouldn't be just standing here, Jack. We should be out there looking for Danny and Kagome," Maddie argued. Kagome had gone missing some time last night and Danny had just up and vanished. If Maddie knew her son as well as she thought she did, he was probably out looking for Kagome right now.

" _Look! Up there!"_

Simultaneously, all eyes looked up just in time to see a familiar black and white blur approaching. "It's the ghost boy!" Paulina cried out happily. Everyone watched as Danny Phantom flew down towards them with the missing teens in his arms.

"Danny!"

"Kagome!"

Danny Phantom stepped back to allow the parents a moment with their children. In the middle of hugging and checking him over, Maddie exclaimed, "Danny! What happened to you!?"

"Some ghost was keeping them trapped in the ghost zone. I got them out and I don't think the ghost should be a problem anymore," Danny Phantom said.

"Thank you, Danny Phantom," Kimiko said, playing her part perfectly.

Danny Phantom looked around in surprise when he heard the resounding applause around him. He flashed the crowd a wave before taking off into the night. Honestly, that worked out better than he'd hoped. Kagome and Danny Fenton were safe. He'd even managed to give more proof to everyone that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were two different people! Not like they needed it. This town was filled with clueless people. Once he was out of sight, the Danny Phantom duplicate disappeared with a pop.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Kagome," Kimiko said as she squeezed Kagome to her.

"Excuse me, miss. We're going to need to collect statements from these kids," a police officer said professionally.

"Of course," Kimiko agreed.

~ _SEVERAL WEEKS LATER_ ~

"You have to scoot in closer, Danny," Kagome chided. Danny chuckled before wriggling a bit and pulling Kagome closer to him. His bed was twin sized and they were already pretty close together. But he wasn't about to complain. Giggling softly, Kagome held her phone up before tapping the screen. Pulling the phone closer for inspection, she gasped once before looking over at Danny. "Danny! Look at your eyes!"

Danny chuckled a little before taking the phone from her. "What? You don't like my eyes?" Danny asked and flashed his eyes neon green.

Kagome pouted at him before reclaiming the phone. "I love your eyes. I would just like a normal picture of us to keep on my phone. If someone sees this, how am I supposed to explain why my boyfriend's eyes are neon green and _glowing?"_

"Alright. One more time," Danny said and took the phone into his hand. "Say cheese."

Just ask Kagome said, "Cheese!" she felt Danny place a peck on her temple. Her sweet smile was quickly changed to a surprised, happy grin as her eyes squeezed shut.

"I like it. What about you?" Danny asked as he inspected the picture.

Kagome shot him a half-lidded look. "You're lucky you're cute," Kagome said before placing a peck on his lips. Her simple peck was quickly turning into something deeper. She could feel Danny wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him. In the middle of their make out session, she felt her phone vibrate in Danny's hand behind her. Pulling away quickly, she took her phone to quickly respond to the text message she had received.

Danny groaned loudly. "Doesn't Plasmius ever get tired of harassing you?"

"At least he's texting now. It's better than him calling every hour," Kagome replied as she sent a reassuring text to Vlad.

"He's not even your dad yet, but he's got the part down," Danny grumbled. "It's still crazy to think about. _Vlad Masters_ is marrying your mom."

"It's not that crazy. It was easy to see it coming," Kagome replied.

"It's still pretty creepy."

Kagome scoffed before sending a final text to Vlad.

 **Don't worry. I'm at Paulina's house. I'll see you later tonight. :)**

" _Liar_ ," Danny accused while burying his face in her hair.

"Hush. Would you rather I tell him the truth? He'd never let me come over here again," Kagome chuckled before putting her phone down onto Danny's bedside table. "I'm just trying to keep you two from maiming each other."

Danny scoffed. "I'm not afraid of Plasmius. I've taken on the ghost king twice and won both times," Danny said with a smirk.

"Are you forgetting that it was _me_ who beat him last time?" Kagome reminded with a smirk.

He hadn't forgotten. He still replayed the moment in the back of his mind. Watching Kagome use her magic for something he'd never thought she'd do- killing a ghost- had left an impression. Of course, he knew that there was no other way to stop Pariah and if they hadn't stopped him there, he would have brought his reign of terror to Amity Park. But it still left an uncomfortable feeling within him. He knew she would never hurt him, but what about another ghost who threatened her? Would he ever have to protect a ghost from Kagome? Could he?

He was brought out of his thoughts by Kagome rolling over to face him and placing a hand on his cheek. She gave him a small smile before brushing his bangs out of his face. Looking at her now, she didn't look threatening at all. Now that the words stopped, the two teens found another (and honestly, _better_ ) use for their mouths. Kissing Kagome still left his skin tingling, but Danny wasn't sure if it was because of her magic or his hormones. He'd gotten so used to it that it no longer bothered him (he sort of liked it a little if he was being honest). Whenever things got too intense, however, the tingle quickly turned into an electric shock that startled him out of his haze.

Today, there wouldn't be a familiar shock to his system to snap him back to reality. Instead, he vaguely heard a soft whoosh just before a chilled breath escaped his lips. Pulling away from Kagome and out of her arms, Danny looked around his room quickly. " _Clockwork!?"_ Danny exclaimed. Kagome sat up and blinked owlishly at their guest. Clockwork?

The elderly-looking Clockwork observed the two teens attempting to straighten out their clothes before facing him. He kept a neutral expression on his face as he waited patiently, but he had almost smirked in amusement. "Do you do that a lot? Just pop in on people without any warning?" Danny asked in annoyance with bright red cheeks.

"I gave you more than enough time, but you never came to me. So, I came to you. Have you forgotten that I asked to see her?" Clockwork asked and glanced at Kagome.

"Me?" Kagome asked.

"Why?" Danny asked.

"It's only right that I pay my respects to my new king," Clockwork said with a smirk.

"King?" Danny parroted. He'd been called Great One and Savior of the Ghost Zone, but never "king". Danny exchanged a look with Kagome. "I can't be king. Thanks, but no thanks Clockwork."

"That's nice to know, but I wasn't referring to you," Clockwork said as he critically examined the clock on his staff.

Danny straightened just as Kagome's eyes widened. She glanced between Danny and Clockwork in confusion. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the king of all ghosts have to be... I don't know... A _ghost?"_ Kagome pointed out.

Clockwork smirked as he shifted to his child form. "Not necessarily. You're only the second ghost king in all of history. There hasn't really ever been the need to establish a protocol," Clockwork answered.

"But Kagome's a witch. What makes you think that a witch could rule over ghosts? More importantly, what makes you think the other ghosts would listen?" Danny argued.

"I only came to give my congratulations to the new king," Clockwork said. Kagome frowned slightly. She could hear the teasing tone Clockwork used when he said the word _king._ "As well as help her loyal subject find her," Clockwork finished and opened a swirling portal in the middle of Danny's bedroom.

Danny tensed as he waited for whoever it was to appear from the other side of the portal. If this was some kind of joke... But Danny was truly surprised when he spotted the Fright Knight entering his room on horseback. "The Fright Knight?" Danny questioned.

"My liege, I have come to do your bidding," the Fright Knight said as he descended his NightMare and kneeled in front of Kagome.

The last time she'd seen the Fright Knight, she had knocked him out with her magic and left him behind on Pariah's Keep. "I figured he'd run off when he saw that Pariah was gone," Kagome explained.

"It is my duty to served the king. Since you overpowered Pariah and stripped him of his power, you have rightfully gained the title of king," Fright Knight explained. "Your armies are ready to do your bidding, my liege. You need only give the command."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Kagome mumbled in a dry voice.

"I don't think I need to emphasize just how much you've managed to change things in the Ghost Zone," Clockwork said.

"What's changed? What are you talking about?" Danny interrogated.

"The Observants feel that nothing good can come from having a witch as the technical ruler of all ghosts. For once, I agree with them."

"Well, what if I don't want to be king? Why can't someone else do it? Or better yet, why does there need to be a king?" Kagome asked as she stood up suddenly from the bed.

"It is not something you can deny, my liege. I can sense the power of the former king within you. Any ghost worth his salt can sense it," Fright Knight supplied.

Kagome's jaw dropped as she glanced between the Fright Knight, Danny, and Clockwork. What the heck was happening here!? This had to be some kind of joke! But seeing the way the Fright Knight remained kneeled before her with his head down, she couldn't help but feel her hopes diminishing.

"You think Kagome being king is a bad thing, Clockwork? Like, _how_ bad?" Danny asked almost hesitantly.

Clockwork let his red eyes glance at the boy before gazing penetratingly at Kagome. After several seconds of staring at her evenly, he let his gaze rest on Danny. "The Observants feel that this may be the biggest crisis to man and ghost alike since... well... you," Clockwork stated calmly.

Kagome frowned slightly in confusion. Since Danny? What had Danny done? Meanwhile, Danny's blood ran cold. He let his eyes rest on Kagome before swallowing thickly. "What can we do to stop this? There has to be a way to stop this from happening, Clockwork," Danny insisted.

Clockwork raised a brow as he shifted to middle age. "There isn't," Clockwork replied.

~:~

Moi-Moi: That moment when you're chilling with your girlfriend and the ghostly master of time tells you that she's going to end up wrecking the world worse than your jerky, evil alternate self. 😱😨

Public service announcement: If at anytime something doesn't make sense, PLEASE let me know. I have a tendency to forget to explain everything when I write. It's cause the details are in my head, and I forget that you guys don't know exactly what's going to happen like I do. So if you have a question, please ask!

You've just reached the end of the story. Congrats! Virtual cookies all around! :D Two down, one to go! As I have said before, this is a trilogy so there is still ONE, FINAL STORY to read. Where this story was a healthy mix of action and romance, the last one will be even more more action, drama, and romance. I atually plan to spend more time on the last story because I have so many ideas that it's going to take more than the usual ~20 chapters to complete it. Now that our house has its foundation and walls, it's time to put on the roof and decorate it with the final touches. You guys have NO IDEA how excited and proud I am to be at this point.

So, be on the lookout for the sequel and final installment: "Reuniting in Fear" coming soon!

Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you stick around for the final story. It's going to be awesome! Don't forget to vote and comment!


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